A man wearing a costume and mask resembling the attacker in the “Scream” horror movie franchise admitted to stabbing his neighbor in the head in Lehighton, according to police. Victim Edward Whitehead Jr. was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital in the Monday afternoon attack in the Carbon County community of about 5,270 people 25 miles north of Allentown. Public records say Whitehead was 59.
The suspect, 30-year-old Zak Russel Moyer, was taken into custody and admitted to having gone to Whitehead’s house next-door “for the purpose of scaring him,” while armed with a knife and small battery-powered chainsaw and wearing the costume complete with a mask and black cloak, according to court records filed by Pennsylvania State Police.
Moyer further admitted to stabbing Whitehead in the head with the black Reapr fixed-blade knife, the court records state.
Lehighton Borough officials about 3:34 p.m. called state police for assistance with an active assault incident, drawing authorities to the scene in the 200 block of Carbon Street, near North Third Street. State police said they took over the response and investigation at the direction of Carbon County District Attorney Michael Greek.
Troopers learned Whitehead “was struck with a chainsaw and a knife in the head by a male who was observed on surveillance video footage” exiting the rear of Whitehead’s home on the block, court records say; the suspect was described as male and “wearing a mask and a black costume-like garment, consistent with the ‘Scream’ movie character.”
Whitehead was taken to St. Luke’s Hospital-Carbon Campus in nearby Franklin Township and pronounced dead, according to police. He had suffered a cut to his right arm, a cut to the head above his right eyebrow, a large wound to the right side of his head and injuries to his hands consistent with defensive wounds, police said.
Police said troopers canvassing the neighborhood learned the perpetrator, identified as Moyer, was inside a home next-door. The Lehighton Area School District went into a lockdown for after-school activities, with police escorting students at dismissal, The Times News reported at tnonline.com.
Moyer began communicating with police via a notebook, making claims about Whitehead being involved in crimes. State police spokesman Trooper Anthony Petroski III told lehighvalleylive.com those claims are “not something we are looking into.”
Police subsequently took Moyer into custody. An interview with his sister revealed Moyer had told her about a week ago “he wanted to kill Ed the neighbor,” court records state.
Moyer admitted after the attack to returning home and watching a movie until police arrived, and to hiding the chainsaw in his attack and the knife in a desk drawer, the record say. Investigators executing a search warrant recovered the knife, 20-volt lithium battery-powered chainsaw and Halloween costume, police said. Asked about a bandage under his eye, Moyer claimed to have been struck during an altercation with Whitehead, police said.
Moyer was arraigned before District Judge Eric M. Schrantz on a single count of homicide and sent to the Carbon County prison, with bail denied. A preliminary hearing was tentatively scheduled for April 3 to determine if there is sufficient evidence to send the charges toward trial in county court.
Court records were not immediately updated with an attorney for Moyer.
www.lehighvalleylive.com
The suspect, 30-year-old Zak Russel Moyer, was taken into custody and admitted to having gone to Whitehead’s house next-door “for the purpose of scaring him,” while armed with a knife and small battery-powered chainsaw and wearing the costume complete with a mask and black cloak, according to court records filed by Pennsylvania State Police.
Moyer further admitted to stabbing Whitehead in the head with the black Reapr fixed-blade knife, the court records state.
Lehighton Borough officials about 3:34 p.m. called state police for assistance with an active assault incident, drawing authorities to the scene in the 200 block of Carbon Street, near North Third Street. State police said they took over the response and investigation at the direction of Carbon County District Attorney Michael Greek.
Troopers learned Whitehead “was struck with a chainsaw and a knife in the head by a male who was observed on surveillance video footage” exiting the rear of Whitehead’s home on the block, court records say; the suspect was described as male and “wearing a mask and a black costume-like garment, consistent with the ‘Scream’ movie character.”
Whitehead was taken to St. Luke’s Hospital-Carbon Campus in nearby Franklin Township and pronounced dead, according to police. He had suffered a cut to his right arm, a cut to the head above his right eyebrow, a large wound to the right side of his head and injuries to his hands consistent with defensive wounds, police said.
Police said troopers canvassing the neighborhood learned the perpetrator, identified as Moyer, was inside a home next-door. The Lehighton Area School District went into a lockdown for after-school activities, with police escorting students at dismissal, The Times News reported at tnonline.com.
Moyer began communicating with police via a notebook, making claims about Whitehead being involved in crimes. State police spokesman Trooper Anthony Petroski III told lehighvalleylive.com those claims are “not something we are looking into.”
Police subsequently took Moyer into custody. An interview with his sister revealed Moyer had told her about a week ago “he wanted to kill Ed the neighbor,” court records state.
Moyer admitted after the attack to returning home and watching a movie until police arrived, and to hiding the chainsaw in his attack and the knife in a desk drawer, the record say. Investigators executing a search warrant recovered the knife, 20-volt lithium battery-powered chainsaw and Halloween costume, police said. Asked about a bandage under his eye, Moyer claimed to have been struck during an altercation with Whitehead, police said.
Moyer was arraigned before District Judge Eric M. Schrantz on a single count of homicide and sent to the Carbon County prison, with bail denied. A preliminary hearing was tentatively scheduled for April 3 to determine if there is sufficient evidence to send the charges toward trial in county court.
Court records were not immediately updated with an attorney for Moyer.
‘Scream’ costume-clad man wielding chainsaw, knife kills neighbor in Carbon County, police say
A man wearing a costume and mask resembling the attacker in the "Scream" horror franchise admitted to stabbing his neighbor in the head in Lehighton, Pa., investigators say.
www.lehighvalleylive.com