Several members of the Marut family testify against their brother, accused murderer Steven Marut, former East Windsor resident.
By: David Pescatore
TRENTON The murder trial of former township resident Steven Marut continued this week as the prosecution called several members of the Marut family to testify against their brother.
Mr. Marut, 33, is charged in state Superior Court with knowing, purposeful murder, aggravated arson, and hindering his own apprehension in connection with the Aug. 10, 1999, death of his mother, Marie Marut, 57.
The state contends that Mr. Marut killed his mother by hitting her in the head with a claw hammer, then torched their 10 Piney Branch Road home to eliminate any evidence, according to Mercer County Assistant Prosecutor Randolph Norris.
On Thursday, three of Mr. Marut’s six siblings took the stand on behalf of the prosecution. Two of his brothers, Louis and Jeffrey, said the relationship between Steven Marut and their mother was tumultuous.
Dressed in black, Jeffrey Marut, 24, of Ewing scowled at his brother from the witness stand as he waited to begin his testimony. Steven Marut kept his gaze fixed on the table in front of him. Later, he would pause in front of his brother while exiting the courtroom. He leaned toward Steven Marut, apparently demanding a response. A bailiff would have to place his hand on the small of Jeffrey Marut’s back and lead him from the room.
"We weren’t on good terms at the time of the incident," Jeffrey Marut said in his testimony of his relationship with his accused brother.
He said that Steven Marut also had a rocky relationship with his mother, who shared her home with her sons, Steven and Jeffrey, Jeffrey Marut’s girlfriend, Rachel Sykes, and their children, Anthony, 6, and Britney, 4.
"He treated her very unfairly. She only wanted what was best for him," he said.
Louis Marut, 38, of Hopewell described the relationship as "abusive and hostile."
He began to cry as he told the jury he never looked at Steven Marut that he loved his brother.
"I just didn’t approve of the way he treated my mother," he said.
Louis, Jeffrey, and a third brother, Scott Marut, 27, of Plainfield each testified that Ms. Marut had been planning on selling her home during the time leading up to fire.
They said that the house was free of known electrical defects, save for a faulty electrical outlet that had been replaced by an electrician several months before the fire.
Earlier in the week, Public Defender William Anklowitz, representing Steven Marut, had questioned police and fire officials about their failure to investigate the burned-out home’s circuit breaker box and gas meter.
On Thursday, he made several references to gasoline and paint that was stored in the house’s garage and to a heat lamp that warmed an iguana in the basement.
Mr. Norris noted that police had to visit the Marut home in July of 1999, two weeks before the fire, to order Jeffrey Marut to extinguish a fire behind the home.
Jeffrey Marut said that he and some friends had started a "pallet fire 100 or 200 feet from the house."
The brothers described their mother as a very cautious person, especially when dealing with fire hazards.
"She was terrified of fire," said Louis Marut, though the comment was stricken from the record.
He went on to describe his mother’s bedtime ritual. He said that she always would unplug any countertop appliances and test each of the home’s five or six smoke detectors before bed.
Louis Marut added that his mother had slept with a knife under her pillow ever since her divorce, when he was 13.
He and his brothers each said that they recognized a small wood-handled knife found among the rubble of the destroyed house 10 days after the fire.
Louis Marut said that the knife routinely was kept on top of a heating duct in the basement while Scott Marut said that it was the knife his mother kept under her pillow. Jeffrey Marut said that he recognized the knife from "around the house," and reckoned that it belonged to "Louis or Gary (Marut)."
Mr. Norris has yet to reveal the significance of the knife in the state’s case.
The brothers testified that there were various cosmetic remodeling projects under way in the home to prepare it for the market. Molding and doorways had been repaired and some sheet rock was installed in one room, they said.
Each of the three identified the hammer believed to have killed Ms. Marut as having been used in the Marut home, though none were sure where it might have been on Aug. 9.
On Wednesday, Mr. Norris called Steven Marut’s former girlfriend, Angela Mingle (formerly Angela Gibbs).
According to Mr. Norris, Ms. Mingle testified that on four different occasions she heard Steven Marut say that he would kill his mother and burn down her house. On one of those occasions, Mr. Norris said, he added that he would do it to ensure that his brothers did not receive any money from the sale of the home.
Also on Wednesday, Louis Marut’s wife, Deborah, said that the property eventually was sold and that the proceeds were split among Ms. Marut’s seven children, with Steven Marut’s share held in escrow.
Deborah Marut also identified the charred remains of Ms. Marut’s clothing as the remnants of a set of pajamas she had purchased for her mother-in-law’s birthday 10 days before the fire.
"Those are the pajamas I bought my mother," she said. "I picked them because the print had flowers and I thought she would really like them."
The jury seemed to be transfixed by the sight of the ravaged nightclothes. Blackened shards fell from the garment as it was laid out for view. With the windows of the courtroom shut, the musty odor of age and burnt fabric quickly filled the room, adding to the impact.
Also this week, police and fire officials commented on their observations of the scene during the morning of the fire and subsequent investigation.
County Medical Examiner Raafat Ahmad testified that "massive blows to the head" killed Ms. Marut before the house was consumed by flames. He added that the specifics of the fractures in the skull made it impossible that the collapsing house caused those injuries.
Also, Michael Haast testified that Steven Marut and Angela Gibbs lived with him in his apartment in The Orchard during the time period that Mr. Marut supposedly made the remarks about killing his mother.
"This guy’s got to get convicted," Mr. Haast said outside of the courthouse.
On Thursday, Capt. Donald Ricigliano, a fire expert from the Mercer County prosecutor’s office, was expected to testify that the fire at 10 Piney Branch Road was set intentionally.
The prosecution will continue making its case next week and could conclude by the end of the week. The trial is expected to end by the end of June.
The state is not seeking the death penalty. If convicted of murder, Mr. Marut could face 30 years to life in prison.