A Pennsylvania man is accused of dressing up in a “Scream” costume and brutally murdering his neighbor with a chainsaw and knife, then returning home to watch a movie before being arrested.
Zack Moyer, 30, was taken into custody Monday and charged with criminal homicide in the killing of 59-year-old Edward Whitehead Jr., according to court records.
Lehighton Borough Police requested assistance from state police when they surrounded a home in the 200 block of Carbon Street Monday around 3:34 p.m. According to a Pennsylvania State Police news release, they were called to the scene in response to an active assault in which a victim was attacked by an assailant with a knife and a chainsaw.
Suspect in three Pennsylvania murders makes first court appearance on New Jersey-related charges
Zach Moyer, 30, was charged with criminal homicide on Monday, according to Pennsylvania court records. (Pennsylvania State Police)
At St. Luke’s Carbon County Hospital after police rescued Whitehead from his home, state trooper Anthony Petroski said he suffered a large stab wound to the side of his head, cuts to his head and arms, and defensive wounds to his hands. He was confirmed dead. told WFMZ.
“The suspect was wearing an all-black costume consisting of the mask of a character from the movie Scream from several years ago,” Officer Petroski said. “This wasn’t just a random attack. They knew each other.”
Police surrounded Whitehead’s home after surveillance footage showed him leaving Whitehead’s home, Lehigh Valley Live reported. They let Mr. Moyer out after a period of negotiation, during which the 30-year-old communicated using a notebook held up to the window:
According to the police report, the note read, “Ed murdered women and children.” “Eddie Jr. murdered a woman and a child last summer.”
2012 Pennsylvania unsolved murder solved using cigarette butts and Styrofoam cups
Moyer initially told police that he wore the Scream costume and grabbed the weapon “to scare people.” [Whitehead]”, but later confessed that he went to the neighbor’s house with the intention of killing him. (PA Images/Sipa USA)
Whitehead had never been charged with murder before, according to records in the Pennsylvania court system. Petrosky told Lehigh Valley Live that the allegations are “not something we’re considering.”
Moyer had removed his “Scream” costume and changed into a red sweatshirt before leaving his home and being arrested.
Moyer’s sister told police that Moyer had talked to her about killing Whitehead a week before the attack. She told police the man sat and watched a movie while waiting for police to respond, although the report reviewed by Lehigh Valley Live did not specify which movie.
Moyer initially told police during questioning that he wore the Scream costume and grabbed the weapon in order to scare people. [Whitehead]”, the newspaper reported, but later confessed that he went to the neighbor’s house with the intention of killing him.
Murder in Amish Countryside: Red Jeep and Nike Sneakers Lead Police to Pregnant Mother’s Murder Suspect
Records show he hid the battery-powered chainsaw and knife he used to kill Whitehead in his home, along with the costume, for police to find later.
District Judge Eric Schranz charged Moyer with murder and remanded him to the Carbon County Jail without bail, according to Pennsylvania court records. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for April 3.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
A day after his son’s arrest, Moyer’s father, Francis, was arrested for harassing the Whitehead family, according to WNEP.
“I don’t know how anyone in this world could do something like that, and that’s what makes me sad,” Whitehead’s niece, Jennifer Whitehead, told the magazine.
“I don’t think anyone really understands everything at this point,” Megan Barnosky, another of Whitehead’s nieces, told the magazine. She said: “What actually happened, what happened, it was terrible.”
