N.J. woman convicted of killing her wife with wine chiller

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A 49-year-old Brick woman is facing a lengthy prison sentence after being convicted of using a wine chiller to beat her wife to death in 2020.

A jury sitting in Toms River needed less than two hours on Thursday to find Mayra Gavilanez-Alectus guilty of murder and weapons offenses, the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office announced Friday.

The 32-year-old victim — Rebecca Gavilanez-Alectus — was found in an upstairs bedroom in the couple’s Creek Road townhouse on May 17, 2020, officials said.

The couple was having marital problems with Rebecca Gavilanez-Alectus telling a friend she was considering ending the relationship. A relative went the couple’s home and found her body after Rebecca Gavilanez-Alectus didn’t show up at her job at an assisted living facility

Authorities said a “cylindrical container used for the purpose of chilling wine” was the murder weapon.

Mayra Gavilanez-Alectus was arrested in Houston, Texas, four days after the murder. She has been held in the Ocean County jail since being extradited to New Jersey and faces up to life in prison when she is sentenced on Nov. 17.

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NJ Advance Media staff writers Brianna Kudisch and Chris Sheldon contributed to this report.

Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com.

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