A woman from New Jersey has been charged with murder when she beat her wife with a wine chiller. Policed have arrested 48-year-old Mayra Gavilanez-Alectus after her transfer from Texas.
Reports say she fled from Texas after killing her 32-year-old wife, Rebecca Gavilanez-Alectus in May.
According to MSN, authorities processed Mayra at the Brick Township Police Department. Local police officers later placed her in the Ocean County Jail.
Unconventional murder weapon
Law enforcement officers discovered the victim's body on May 18 after responding to a report about an "unresponsive female." Police found Rebecca in their bedroom where respondents announced that she died due to blunt force trauma from a wine chiller.
Rebecca's death comes a week after Mayra posted on Facebook how grateful she was for having her wife in her life and that she loves her.
An acquaintance of Rebecca told police officers that she had plans to end her relationship with Mayra the night before her death, wrote court documents that NJ Advance Media obtained. Rebecca and her friend both worked at a Toms River assisted living facility.
The friend told authorities that Rebecca removed the ring and had no plans to wear it again. She also noted that Rebecca had wanted to date a man, as reported by NJ.com.
An Ocean County Prosecutor spokesman, Bradley Billhimer, said his office believes the couple were legally married, but they had no information when and where. Family members told police that the two had joint bank accounts.
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Billhimer also expressed his gratitude to the federal law enforcement partners that helped them with the case as well as those in Houston. He added that it was extremely gratifying when local authorities work together to bring a dangerous criminal like Mayra into custody and out of reach from any potential victim.
Sudden disappearance
Members of both families of the couple tried to contact the two when Rebecca did not show up to work on May 17. One of Mayra's relatives, along with her boyfriend, went to visit the couple's residence where they found Rebecca's dead body covered with a sheet in their bedroom.
Police described a cylindrical container which was a wine chiller that they found inside the room is believed to be the weapon that Mayra used in murdering her partner. Authorities found a fingerprint that matched Mayra on the wine chiller.
Members of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) arrested Mayra in Houston with the help of the US Marshals Service and the local police department in Houston.
A coworker revealed that Rebecca shared her fears for her life a few days before the crime after she told her wife of her plans to end their marriage, said authorities. The two have been in Ecuador before they moved to the Brick townhouse, as shared by family members. Police shared that the couple had verbal disagreements while they resided in Ecuador.
The coworker also shared that Mayra offered Rebecca $3,000 to stay with her and not break off the relationship. Mayra, along with the charge for murder, will also be facing charges for weapons offences.
