A Pennsylvania man stabbed his former girlfriend to death in front of a police officer last week before trying to stab himself in the neck during a foot chase, authorities said Monday.
Trevor Weigel, 23, is accused of tackling and stabbing Jaden Battista, 19, more than a dozen times outside a home on Waterford Road in Lower Makefield Township. Authorities believe she was stabbed 15 times.
Officers were called to the home just after 2:20 p.m. Friday over a reported burglary where a male was attempting to enter the home through a first-floor window, said Bucks County District Attorney Jennifer Schorn. They later learned that the call was domestic-related.
Battista was on FaceTime with a friend when she noticed Weigel outside the house and banging on the door, authorities said. The friend heard some commotion on the other end of the call and that Battista’s voice had become muffled “as if someone was holding their hand over her mouth to prevent her from speaking,” according to police.
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Jaden Battista, 19, was fatally stabbed by her former boyfriend last week outside her Pennsylvania home, authorities said. (Bucks County District Attorney)
The call ended, and the friend tried calling back several times. The friend then called 911, which prompted the police response.
When the officer pulled up to the home, he spotted Weigel standing next to a red Ford Mustang with the passenger door open. Weigel then allegedly chased Battista and tackled her to the ground before allegedly stabbing her.
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He fled the scene and stabbed himself in the neck multiple times while running before scaling a fence, police said. He was eventually tased by police and taken into custody. Authorities said they found the knife used in the killing.
Wigel is charged with criminal homicide, burglary, possession of an instrument of crime, disorderly conduct and harassment. He is being held without bail.
Weigel and Battista broke up two months ago after dating for two months, Schorn said.
Bucks County District Attorney Jennifer Schorn talks to reporters about the killing of Jaden Battista. (Bucks County District Attorney)
The prosecutor praised the original responding officer, who tried to save Battista’s life before she was taken to a hospital where she later died, while other officers chased down Weigel.
The officer, an Iraq War veteran, previously served with the Philadelphia Police Department in a high-crime area before joining the Lower Makefield Police Department.
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“This case serves as a reminder that one can never fully appreciate the lethality of a situation when enduring domestic violence,” Schorn said.
