Penn. woman allegedly killed parents and used chain saw to dismember their bodies
01/19/2023 12:14 pm PST
NORRISTOWN, Penn. (TCD) -- A 49-year-old woman was arrested and charged after allegedly killing her elderly parents in their shared home and dismembering their bodies with a chain saw.
On Jan. 17 at around 10:30 p.m., Abington Police officers responded to the 1100 block of Beverly Road in the Jenkintown section of Abington Township to perform a welfare check, the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office said. A family member reportedly called to say they had not communicated with the couple who lived in the home for over a week.
WPHL-TV reports the couple’s son, Justin Beck, called police to check on them because they usually spoke every day.
That evening, at approximately 8 p.m., Justin Beck reportedly drove past the home and noticed his parents’ cars in the driveway. He reportedly came back to the home at around 9:30 p.m. to bring soup to his sister, who said she was feeling ill.
According to WPHL, Justin Beck told police he went into the home and found a body covered in a bloodstained sheet with feet sticking out from underneath. When Justin Beck spoke with his sister, Verity Beck, she reportedly said things at home had "been bad," and she needed "more time" before calling law enforcement.
When Justin Beck asked his sister if something bad had happened, she allegedly said "yes." He went home and subsequently called 911, according to WPHL.
At the home, police initially put a small robot on the first floor and a drone around the second floor windows to locate Verity Beck, but they reportedly failed to find her.
Three officers entered the residence through a side door shortly after midnight and encountered a strong odor of decomposition, WPHL reports. Police reportedly made contact with Verity Beck and asked her where her parents, Reid Beck, 73, and Miriam Beck, 72, were. She allegedly replied, "They are dead."
The District Attorney’s Office said police found the bodies of the elderly couple in "various states of dismemberment." A chain saw and several firearms were reportedly recovered nearby.
The father’s body was allegedly decapitated and wrapped in a sheet, and severed body parts were found in a trash can. Additionally, authorities found a safe that someone had tried to access without a key, WPHL reports.
Inside Verity Beck’s room, investigators reportedly found three guns with spent rounds. Two of those guns were registered under Verity Beck’s name.
Authorities found an unread newspaper from Jan. 7, which they believe was the day the couple had been killed, according to WPHL.
The District Attorney’s Office said the elderly couple’s bodies were transported to the Montgomery County Coroner’s Office, and they concluded the victims had died from gunshot wounds to the head.
Verity Beck was reportedly charged with first-degree and third-degree murder and was booked into the Montgomery County Correctional Facility without bail.
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