Son charged with murder in stabbing death of his mother in Fair Lawn

Show Caption Hide Caption Fair Lawn stabbing investigation Authorities investigate a stabbing that left a woman dead in Fair Lawn July 8, 2018.

Authorities charged Eric Kaplan with first-degree murder for allegedly killing his mother, Ann

The charge carries with it a sentence of 30 years to life in prison

Kaplan, who is being held in Bergen County Jail, has been "non-communicative," his attorney said Monday

UPDATE: Fair Lawn man accused of killing mom was arrested for assault four years ago, records show

FAIR LAWN — No one spoke directly into the phone during the Sunday afternoon 911 call that eventually led police to the modest white house on the corner of Halstead Terrace and Grunstra Place.

But authorities heard a woman’s voice in the background and the sounds of a struggle, according to arrest documents filed by borough police. When officers arrived a little after 3 p.m., it was too late: Ann Kaplan, a 64-year-old mother, lay bloody in the kitchen, dying from a stab wound in her neck.

Police say Eric Kaplan, Ann’s 31-year-old son, killed her with the knife he left next to her body. Authorities say they found Eric, clad in blood-splattered clothing, locked in the first-floor bathroom. He denied the blame as police forced their way in to arrest him.

Ann Kaplan was pronounced dead later that day at St. Joseph’s University Medical Center in Paterson. And her son, who on Monday appeared for the first time in state Superior Court in Bergen County, stands accused of first-degree murder.

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“This is a terrible tragedy for the family,” Paul Brickfield, Kaplan's River Edge attorney, said after Monday's proceedings. “And there’s a very severe mental health issue underneath all this.”

If convicted, Kaplan could be imprisoned for at least three decades, if not the rest of his life. Kaplan will likely plead not guilty, Brickfield said.

Kaplan, his faced flecked with patchy red whiskers, stared at the courtroom floor as Judge Margaret Foti read to him his charges, which include unlawful possession of a weapon.

He used headphones to better hear Foti’s voice — Brickfield told the court his client suffers from a hearing problem — but he did not look at Foti while she spoke and barely cracked a whisper in his one-word replies.

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A Friday detention hearing will determine whether Kaplan, who is being held at the Bergen County Jail in Hackensack, will be released on bail.

When asked if Kaplan was maintaining his innocence, Brickfield said the two had not discussed it.

“You could say he’s very non-communicative,” Brickfield said.

Kaplan’s father, from whom Ann was divorced, is expected to attend the detention hearing. He was vacationing abroad when he got word of the alleged murder, Brickfield said.

In an afternoon news release, the Prosecutor’s Office said investigators believe Eric Kaplan assaulted his mother, who called police during the attack but could not speak when they answered. Police saw Ann’s body through a window and forced their way into the house.

Neighbors said they occasionally heard arguing at the Kaplan home, but nothing more.

It’s the second suspicious death in two weeks in the usually quiet town; the body of Roosevelt Rene, a music producer, was found on June 26 in the Fair Lawn home of New York Giants player Janoris Jenkins.

Email: janoski@northjersey.com