13 year old New Jersey boy killed, and family held hostage by deranged man in New Jersey

38-year old Gerald "Skip" Murphy went nuts, shot a 13-year old boy to death, and then held his family hostage in his Trenton, New Jersey home, threatening to shoot them to death and saying he had explosives.  

He had also killed a woman in the house, Murphy's girlfriend, 44-year-old Carmelita Stevens.

Held hostage in the home were Stevens' three children, an 18-year-old woman, a 16-year-old girl and a 4-year-old boy, as well as a man who was locked in the basement.

A SWAT Team raided the home after a 37-hour long standoff and shot Murphy, who later died.

From an article:

Police officers went to the South Trenton home Friday afternoon after reports that some of the children hadn't been to school in 12 days, authorities said Sunday at a news conference. 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. 

They found 38-year-old Gerald "Skip" 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 retreated from the second floor and rescued a 19-year-old man from the basement, who said he hadn't seen his mother or siblings since about April 24. 

A SWAT team was called in, and an arson bomb unit also appeared on the scene. Police said Murphy could be seen from a window holding a black handgun. 

Police remained in contact with Murphy throughout the 37-hour-long standoff and passed food into the home through an upstairs window, state police Col. Rick Fuentes said. Murphy kept the captives with him inside the roughly 10-foot-by-11-foot bedroom throughout the standoff, authorities said. 

Officers stormed the home at around 3:45 a.m. Sunday after noting Murphy's "deteriorating state of mind" and deciding it was necessary to enter to help ensure the captives survived, Fuentes said. An officer shot Murphy because he was threatening one of the children, he said. 

Murphy was taken to a hospital and later died of his injuries. No law enforcement personnel were injured during the standoff or the confrontation with Murphy. 

"This was a very complex matter, considering the space (where the hostages were) and that three children were involved," Fuentes said when asked about the standoff and its resolution. "Our mission over those 37 hours was to save innocent lives." 

Authorities found the bodies of 44-year-old Carmelita Stevens and her teenage son in separate bedrooms. The woman's body was in an advanced state of decomposition, and police said she appeared to have died two weeks ago. 

Three of her 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 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.

.