A Pennsylvania woman was accused of shooting her parents in their heads and dismembering their bodies with a chainsaw, authorities said Wednesday.
Verity Beck, 49, was charged with two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of third-degree murder and other crimes in the killings of Reid Beck, 73, and Miriam Beck, 72, Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele told reporters.
Beck appeared in court Wednesday for a preliminary arraignment and was ordered held without bail, criminal court records show.
Authorities have not identified a possible motive, though investigators found a safe that someone appeared to have tried to break into, Steele said.
Police officers were dispatched Tuesday to the home in Abington, 12 miles north of Philadelphia, for a wellness check after another family member said the couple hadn’t been heard from in more than a week, according to a joint statement from Steele and Abington Township Police Chief Patrick Molloy.
Inside, officers found Verity Beck, who also lived there, and the victims’ bodies, according to the statement.
They found body parts in trash bags that had been placed in two trash cans, Steele said. One of the victims was tightly wrapped in a white bed sheet and blanket, he said.
“There were signs of extreme trauma present,” he said.
An autopsy found the Becks were each shot once in the head, Steele said, adding that a pillow may have been used during the gunfire. He said the shots appeared to have been fired before the couple was dismembered.
“We hope and pray that happened first,” he said.
Authorities found at least thee guns inside the home that belonged to Verity Beck, NBC Philadelphia reported, citing a criminal complaint.
It wasn’t clear when the Becks were killed. Steele said a family member last spoke to them on Jan. 7.
Beck was taken into custody and charged. It wasn’t clear if she has a lawyer to speak on her behalf. Court records didn’t list one.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
