A Pennsylvania man has been charged in the murder of his neighbor in a wild scene where he donned a "Scream" horror movie-style costume, including the iconic mask, and used a knife and a chainsaw, police said.
The alleged murder happened in the rural area of Lehighton, Pa, nestled in the popular nature retreat area of the Poconos Mountains.
Pennsylvania State Police said 30-year-old Zak Russel Moyer, of the town of Lehighton, was taken into custody and charged with criminal homicide. He is currently jailed in the Carbon County Correctional Facility, PA Homepage reported. He was denied bail by a judge. He faces a preliminary hearing on April 3.
According to reporting by Lehigh Valley Live, police said Moyer claimed he went to 59-year-old Edward Whitehead Jr.'s house to simply try "scaring him." Police said Moyer admitted to stabbing his neighbor in the head with a fixed blade knife.
Moyer told police he was also carrying a small battery powered chainsaw when he went to Whitehead's house while wearing the costume, according to court records reported on by Lehigh Valley Live.
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Chad Doerman was arrested last June after allegedly shooting and killing his three young sons outside of their Ohio home.
Officers learned the victim was also struck in the head with the chainsaw. The attack was caught on surveillance footage, police said.
Whitehead was taken to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead, police said. Preliminary reports on his injuries said he suffered a cuts to one of his arms, his head above his right eyebrow and a large wound on another part of his head.
He also had defensive wounds on his hands, according to police reports.
Lehigh Valley Live reported that Moyer said he returned home after the attack and watched a movie until police arrived. He reportedly tried to hide the chainsaw and the knife.
