ELKINS PARK, Pa. (AP) - A man has been charged in the shooting deaths of his wife and mother-in-law in a home near Philadelphia in which two small children were also present, authorities said.
The Montgomery County district attorney’s office said Sunday police called to a Cheltenham Township home shortly after noon Saturday found 41-year-old Latiya Clea and 74-year-old Mekenda Saunders deceased in the living room.
County and township detectives allege in an affidavit of probable cause that 57-year-old Frederick Clea told officers he “went too far” and shot the victims. Two children, ages 5 and 10, who came to the door of the Wyncote home appeared to be unharmed, investigators said.
Township and county detectives allege that the defendant told them he began arguing with his wife over a misplaced magazine for the firearm, and at a certain point he “just started shooting.”
A gun was recovered and an autopsy indicated the younger woman had been shot five times and the older woman once, authorities said. Both deaths were ruled homicides. Authorities said police had been called to the home twice before due to domestic disputes.
Authorities said Clea was to be charged with murder and related counts. He was taken to the county prison pending an Aug. 6 preliminary hearing. It’s unclear whether he has an attorney; listed numbers for him weren’t in service Sunday.
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