Elizabeth, NJ: Common-law husband, wife die in Elizabeth murder-suicide, prosecutor says

By Carly Rothman/The Star-Ledger
November 30, 2009, 7:52PM
ELIZABETH -- An 18-year-old woman discovered the bodies of her mother and father, killed this weekend in an apparent murder-suicide in their home, authorities said today.
Police found Argael Rincon, 53, and Maria Alvarez, 45, suffering from gunshot wounds around 8:20 p.m. Saturday on the first floor of the home they shared on the 700 block of Magie Avenue, said Union County Prosecutor Theodore Romankow.
Rincon and Alvarez were not married but had lived together for 20 years, authorities said. Their daughter was on the second floor of the home when she heard the couple arguing, followed by the sound of gunshots, Romankow said. When the daughter came downstairs, she encountered the scene.
Police said Alvarez died from a gunshot wound to the chest and Rincon died of a self-inflicted gunshot to the head. A .32-caliber handgun was recovered at the scene. Ballistics tests performed on the bullets and gun confirm the case was a murder-suicide, Romankow said.
Elizabeth police spokesperson Sgt. Stephen Negrey said there is no record of police ever being called to the home, and there are no documented reports of domestic abuse.