2 bodies found after NJ standoff; suspect killed

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP-Excite

By BRUCE SHIPKOWSKI

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) - A registered sex offender who barricaded himself for days in a home with his girlfriend's three children was shot to death Sunday as police rescued the captives and recovered the bodies of their mother and another sibling, authorities said.

Police officers initially went to the South Trenton home Friday afternoon after a relative of 44-year-old Carmelita Stevens said she hadn't spoken to her in weeks and was worried, authorities said at a news conference Sunday. Upon further investigation, authorities then discovered her children hadn't been to school in 12 days.

Officers entered the home through a rear door and smelled an odor consistent with that of a decomposing body, Trenton Police Director Ralph Rivera Jr. said. The officers also noticed maggots throughout the residence.

They found 38-year-old Gerald "Skip" Tyrone Murphy in an upstairs bedroom and he told them he was armed with a gun and explosives and had three children with him, Mercer County Prosecutor Joseph L. Bocchini Jr. said. Officers noticed one of the dead victims before they retreated from the second floor and rescued Stevens' 19-year-old son from the basement, who said he hadn't seen her or his siblings since about April 24.

FULL story at link.


Read more: http://apnews.excite.com/article/20130512/DA67T0201.html

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Gerald "Skip" Murphy, 38, is seen in this photograph provided by the Mercer County Prosecutor's Office in Trenton, N.J., Sunday, May 12, 2013. Three children are safe after a 36-hour standoff with Murphy, who was armed, ended early Sunday, in Trenton, N.J., state law enforcement officials said. Murphy was killed during the rescue, officials said. But the bodies of a woman, presumed to be homeowner Carmelita Stevens, 44 -- the mother of the children -- and a young boy, presumed to be her 13-year-old son, were found decomposing in the home. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)

[hlthe2b]

1. Uggh... I hope for the best for the surviving three children.

One can only hope they will have the support needed to deal with this.

[theHandpuppet]

2. Please, can someone explain to me...

...why any mother would let a two-legged shitstain like this man within a hundred miles of her children?

Three of Stevens' children - an 18-year-old woman, a 16-year-old girl and a 4-year-old boy - were rescued and taken to a medical center for evaluation and treatment. Murphy had abused and assaulted the captives, Bocchini said.

Murphy and Stevens had been dating for a few months, and both lived in the house, police said. He was not the father of any of her children.

Authorities wouldn't comment on a possible motive or say how the victims died, citing the ongoing investigation. They also would not say whether any bombs or other explosives were recovered at the residence.

Murphy had a long criminal history including convictions for aggravated assault and criminal conspiracy, Bocchini said. He had previously been arrested for robbery and weapons offenses and child endangerment. He also had an arrest warrant in Pennsylvania for failing to register as a sex offender.

[geek tragedy]

3. They didn't do a criminal background check? nt

[question everything]

4. Where was the school?

"Officers initially went to the South Trenton home Friday afternoon after a relative of 44-year-old Carmelita Stevens said she hadn’t spoken to her in weeks and was worried, authorities said at a news conference Sunday. Upon further investigation, authorities then discovered her children hadn’t been to school in 12 days."

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Children had not been in school for 12 days and no one raised an alarm?