Pa. woman accused of killing, dismembering parents with chain saw won’t face death penalty

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Pa. (TCD) -- Prosecutors said in court this week they would not seek the death penalty against a woman who allegedly killed and dismembered her parents in their home this year.

The Associated Press reports assistant Montgomery County prosecutor Samantha Cauffman said in court Thursday, Aug. 10, the death penalty was taken off the table in Verity Beck’s because the "required legal factors are not present in this case." Officials ruled her competent to stand trial.

Court records show 44-year-old Beck is being charged with two counts each of first-degree murder, third-degree murder, abuse of a corpse, and possessing an instrument of crime. Her trial is reportedly scheduled for February.

On Jan. 17, Abington Township Police responded to a home on the 1100 block of Beverly Road to conduct a well-being check because they received a call from a family member who said they had not heard from the residents in over a week. When officers went inside the residence, they found Beck and one victim "tightly wrapped in a white bed sheet." There was also "evidence of a second deceased person inside the home."

According to Abington Police, "There were signs of extreme trauma present."

Police searched the home and determined the bodies were those of a 73-year-old male and 72-year-old female. They located a chain saw close to one of the bodies and described the victims as being in "various stages of dismemberment."

Officers also discovered multiple firearms. Both victims died from a gunshot wound to the head.

WPHL-TV identified the victims as Reid Beck and Miriam Beck. The criminal complaint cited by WPHL says Verity Beck’s brother, Justin Beck, called police because he spoke with his parents every day, and when he went inside, he found his father’s body downstairs under the bed sheet. Verity Beck allegedly told her brother she had been "bad."

Reid Beck was reportedly decapitated, and investigators discovered a trash can with other body parts inside.

Prior to her arrest, Beck worked as a teacher at St. Katherine School of Special Education.

MORE:

• Prosecutors won’t seek death penalty for woman accused of killing, dismembering parents - The Associated Press
• Commonwealth of Pennsylvania vs. Verity Beck
• Penn. woman allegedly killed parents and used chain saw to dismember their bodies, 1/19/2023 -  TCD
• District Attorney Announces Investigation and Charges in Double Homicide in Abington, 1/18/2023 - Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office
• Daughter kills and dismembers parents inside Jenkintown home, 1/19/2023 - WPHL
• Statement Regarding Ms. Verity A. Beck, 1/20/2023 - Archdiocese of Philadelphia