Gwen Ruth Avrut, 70, was found dead in her Maplewood, New Jersey, home on January 4, 2021. A family member’s concerns led police to her South Orange Avenue residence, where officers discovered her unresponsive with serious injuries; she was pronounced dead at the scene. The case was treated as a homicide after investigators determined she had died from a physical assault.

Within a day of the discovery, Gwen Avrut’s 35-year-old son, Benjamin Avrut of Maplewood, was arrested and charged in connection with her death. Prosecutors later said the killing was motivated by a desire to access a substantial inheritance. The criminal case that followed included allegations that she had been beaten to death and that the defense raised an insanity plea.

Does anyone have information about Gwen’s life in Maplewood or about events around January 4, 2021 that could help clarify what happened?