A New Canaan woman was “bludgeoned to death” by her son in their home Friday night, according to Stamford State’s Attorney Paul Ferencek who handled the man’s arraignment Monday.

Sebastian Van Stockum, 20, appeared in Stamford Superior Court, charged with murder in the death of Laura Williams. Van Stockum graduated from New Canaan High School in 2023 and has no criminal history but now stands accused of a heinous crime.

“This was an especially violent murder,” Ferencek told the court, adding that the victim suffered “extreme trauma to the skull.”

New Canaan police said they discovered Van Stockum's mother dead in their home on Gerdes Road after Van Stockum called 911 and confessed to the crime. Police said they initially got a report of a man yelling in the woods near South Avenue and Gerdes Road, which is right next to Williams’ home, just after 10:30 p.m. Then, as officers responded, they received the call from Van Stockum. He was arrested, charged with murder and held on a $2 million bond at the police department until his court appearance.

“This was a terrible shock. Nobody anticipated this or foresaw this,” said attorney Phil Russell, who represented Van Stockum for bond purposes, after the brief hearing. “And at this point there's an awful lot of loose ends. All I can say is it would be premature for anyone to rush to judgement.”

Russell declined to comment on if Van Stockum has prior mental health issues.

“Obviously, it's a tragic situation, and it's a family,” Russell stated.

Van Stockum's father was at his son's arraignment but had nothing to say to reporters as he left.

The judge kept bond at $2 million and said if Van Stockum can post, he must do so at the courthouse following a hearing for conditions of release. He’s due back in court Nov. 3.

On Monday morning, flowers sat on the front porch of the home where mother and son lived. Police said they won't release any further information because it's a domestic violence case. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner listed Williams’ cause of death as blunt injuries to her head and manner of death as homicide.

This is the second untimely death in New Canaan in the past two months. In September, police responded to an apartment complex on Lakeview Avenue and found Essence Sharie Preyer, 33, dead. The OCME told News 12 Preyer’s cause and manner of death are pending additional studies.

The last homicide in New Canaan was in July 2021 when Albert Kokoth, who was 77 at the time, was charged with murder in the deadly shooting of his wife, Margaret Kokoth, 75. In 2023, Kokoth was found not competent to stand trial for a third time with a state expert testifying there’s no real chance he’ll ever be due to a “progressive and irreversible” brain disease.

Prior to that, police in New Canaan investigated the disappearance and presumed death of Jennifer Dulos in May 2019. State police believe her estranged husband, Fotis Dulos, killed her in the garage of her home, then disposed of her body. Jennifer Dulos has never been found, but she was legally declared dead in 2023.