OCEAN COUNTY – Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer announced the indictment of Brick Township resident Mayra Gavilanez-Alectus, 49, by an Ocean County Grand Jury on a charge of murder for the death of her 32-year-old wife Rebecca Gavilanez-Alectus.
Gavilanez-Alectus was also indicted on charges of Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose and Unlawful Possession of a Weapon.
Brick Police responded on May 17, 2020, to a home on Creek Road for an unresponsive woman. The officers found the lifeless body of Rebecca Gavilanez-Alectus in an upstairs bedroom of the home. The Ocean County Medical Examiner performed a post-mortem examination of her body, and determined the manner of her death to be a homicide.
The investigation revealed that a cylindrical container used for the purpose of chilling wine was used in committing the murder. The injuries sustained by Rebecca Gavilanez-Alectus were consistent with that item. It was later determined that Mayra Gavilanez-Alectus caused the victim’s death and on May 18, 2020, a warrant for her arrest was issued.
On May 21, 2020, Mayra Gavilanez-Alectus was taken into custody by law enforcement in Houston, Texas. She was extradited back to New Jersey and has been lodged in the Ocean County Jail since that time.
Prosecutor Billhimer thanked Supervising Assistant Prosecutor Robert Cassidy, Assistant Prosecutor Ashley Angelo and Assistant Prosecutor Genna Moscato who are handling the case on behalf of the State as well as the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit, Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office High Tech Crime Unit, Brick Township Police Department, Brick Township Police Department Detective Bureau, Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit, Federal Bureau of Investigation, United States Department of Homeland Security, United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement, New York Police Department, United States Marshals Service, and Houston Police Department for their collective assistance relative to this investigation resulting in the indictment.
