Jeffrey Surgent: NJ man arrested for beheading 74-year-old mother, singing 'Jesus Loves Me' during arrest
OCEAN CITY, NEW JERSEY: A New Jersey man reportedly beheaded his mother before lying naked on top of her headless body, police said. He also allegedly sang 'Jesus Loves Me' when police arrived at the crime scene and took him into custody.
According to the probable cause arrest affidavit obtained by WABC and The Press of Atlantic City, the harrowing incident occurred on Friday, December 8, at a public housing complex in Ocean City after 46-year-old Jeffrey Surgent allegedly called 911 to say he was bipolar and had just killed his mother.
What did the police find upon arrival?
When police arrived, they found him naked and covered in blood, laying on top of his mother’s headless body, authorities reportedly said. He allegedly screamed that he killed his mother and that he was sorry while the police handcuffed him. He then started singing 'Jesus Loves Me,' the affidavit reportedly said.
WPVI reported that the apartment had security footage which was used during the investigation. It showed the head being thrown out of the apartment before Surgent is seen peeking into the hallway, NJ.com reported. He then allegedly dragged his mother's body into the hallway.
Jeffrey Surgent was taken to a mental health facility
Prosecutors said officers took him to a mental health facility. He’s charged with murder, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose and unlawful possession of a weapon. Surgent reportedly has a history of mental illness. He is in custody in Cape May County.
The victim was described as 'the greatest grandmother in the world'
The victim was identified as 74-year-old Alexandria M Surgent. In a GoFundMe page, her family described her as 'the greatest grandmother in the world.'
“Our grandmother was murdered by our uncle Jeffery Surgent. She lived with us and helped us with our day-to-day lives. Without her, we can’t afford rent or food and we cannot pay for her burial or cremation,” her grandson Chase Surgent wrote.
Janice Powers told New York ABC affiliate WABC she was visiting her father who lives in the building when she tried to go to the second floor. “I went to go do a load of laundry and it’s on the second floor, and they had everything marked off and blankets. I was like, ‘Oh my gosh,'” she said.
Powers said she met Jeffrey Surgent before. “We went to a barbeque,” Powers told the TV station, adding “He just played with the kids and he was really nice. I don’t know what to say. It was weird.”
