Metro

Gunman dead in Trenton hostage standoff, children safe

GERALD MURPHY Cops say he killed woman and son.

GERALD MURPHY Cops say he killed woman and son.

TRENTON, NJ — New Jersey State Police say a standoff with an armed man at a Trenton home has been resolved and three children are safe.

The suspect was killed during the rescue, police said, ending two days of tension and concern and worry.

State police Sgt. Adam Grossman said that more details will be released at a news conference later in the morning.

The armed suspect, identified by friends and neighbors as Gerald “Skip” Murphy, barricaded himself Friday in the two-story, red-brick house in South Trenton, authorities said.

He had briefly shared that home with two people he allegedly killed — his girlfriend, Carmen Kelly, 42, and her 13-year-old son, officials said.

Kelly’s two daughters, 14 and 17, and a 4-year-old son are believed to be still alive in the house at 250 Grand St. Kelly’s 19-year-old son, who is autistic, had been staying with relatives.

State Police Lt. Steven Jones had called the standoff an “ongoing, tense situation” and said police are working to “bring this to a peaceful end.”

Police discovered Kelly’s decomposing body during a wellness check at about 3 p.m. Friday, The Times of Trenton reported.

Officers checked the house and encountered the gunman — and then quickly backed off, saidTrenton Police Lt. Edelmiro Gonzalez.

Danny Estevez, a 22-year-old pal and former co-worker of Murphy’s, said the suspect told him Thursday he was looking forward to seeing the movie “Iron Man 3” that night.

Murphy had recently quit his job assembling women’s makeup kits and had been drinking heavily, Estevez said.

“We went out celebrating a friend’s birthday on April 26. Ever since that day, he wanted to drink,” Estevez said. “He wanted to drink every day, Monday through Friday.”

Late yesterday, an animal-control officer removed a small white dog from the house. Neighbors said there were also two pit bulls in the home.

Homes on the surrounding block were evacuated.

Juana Martinez, who said she was a friend of the gunman, told The Post that Murphy met Kelly only three months ago and moved in a month later.

But the victim recently kicked him out and he began to live in his car, she said.

“He didn’t want to leave,” Martinez said. “He was depressed about that and other things.”

There was also friction between the suspect and the slain boy.

“He said he was having trouble with the 13-year-old boy,” Martinez said. “[The boy] was giving him lip that he wasn’t his father.”

Martinez added that the suspect had been looking forward to starting a job as a security guard tomorrow.

With AP