A 20-year-old Connecticut man who allegedly beat his mother to death before crying out for her made his first court appearance Monday.
Sebastian Van Stockum appeared briefly at the Stamford Superior Court on murder charges, in connection with the death of 55-year-old Laura Williams.
According to News 8, Van Stockum requested a public defender and an optometrist for glasses.
The incident happened on October 24, after the defendant allegedly hammered his mother to death at her New Canaan home near South Avenue and Gerdes Road.
Police arrived at the scene at 10:36 p.m., following a 911 call from someone who heard a man yelling “mama” from a wooded area near the home.
At 10:40 p.m., Van Stockum contacted 911 himself and cried that he had killed his mother.
“I want to turn myself in. I just killed my mom, and I don’t know why I did it,” he reportedly said.
Police arrived to find a “a hammer covered in blood” in the driveway. When they detained Van Stockum, he admitted that he also used his hands and knife while beating Williams.
“I tried using a knife, I tried using a hammer and I used my fists,” he reportedly told investigators.
First responders pronounced Williams deceased at the scene. A police report indicated that she died from blunt force injuries and had a cracked skull.
“This was an especially violent murder. The victim was found bludgeoned to death with extreme trauma to their skull,” Norwalk Judicial District State’s Attorney Paul Ferencek said, according to WFSB.
A judge ordered Van Stockum to be held on a $2 million bond. A probable cause hearing has been scheduled for January 2, 2026.
DailyMail reports that Van Stockum is the son of New York restaurateur, Dirk Van Stockum.
Williams’ brother, David Williams, who described her as self-made and driven, told the Stamford Advocate that mother and son would often argue over “what he should be doing,” although “she supported him in everything.”
He also said Laura Williams was a “talented writer and artist” who previously worked as an editor for a Los Angeles movie production company. She later moved to New York, met the defendant’s father, and worked for the Seagram Company.
At the time of her death, Williams, a single mother, was a high-end antiques dealer, working from home.
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[Feature Photo: Sebastian Van Stockum/Instagram; Laura Williams/Family Handout]
