A 20-year-old individual is accused of fatally assaulting his mother using a hammer and then fleeing into the nearby woods, where he uttered a single alarming word.
Sebastian Van Stockum was taken into custody after confessing to the killing of Laura Williams, 55, close to their affluent residence. He reportedly informed law enforcement that he used his fists and a hammer to end his mother’s life. Authorities were alerted to the tragic incident following reports of a man shouting ‘Mama’ from the wooded area.
As officers headed to the scene, a man dialed 911 and admitted to “killing his mother,” identifying the victim as Laura, who had raised Van Stockum on her own. Upon arrival, officers encountered the suspect at the door, his face, attire, and hands drenched in blood, leading to his immediate detainment.
Laura sustained severe head injuries, including a fractured skull, from blunt-force trauma on the left side. A bloodied hammer was discovered near her head in the grass. Despite resuscitation efforts, she tragically succumbed to her extensive wounds at the location.
When questioned by law enforcement about his involvement in the crime, the son allegedly responded with a rhetorical query, confessing, “I did it” and elaborating that he attempted to use a knife, a hammer, and his bare hands. He also indicated to authorities that he was grappling with mental health issues.
The victim, Laura, a single mother who worked as an antique dealer, resided with her son in their $1.9 million New Canaan, Connecticut home prior to the harrowing incident. Van Stockum, with blood and scratches on his face, made a court appearance at Stamford Superior Court where the state attorney described the case as an “especially violent murder,” noting the extensive skull trauma suffered by the victim.
During a bond hearing, defense lawyer Philip Russell expressed shock at the situation, emphasizing the unforeseeable nature of the events and urging against premature judgments, acknowledging the tragedy of the circumstances.
In a separate case, Lorenz Kraus confessed to burying his parents, who went missing in 2017, in the backyard of their Albany home during a television interview. Kraus, 53, admitted to suffocating his parents after their deaths, with investigations uncovering the buried remains following his shocking on-camera revelations.
