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A daughter shot her parents in the head before using a chainsaw to dismember their bodies and partially dump the parts into trash cans, authorities said Wednesday.
Verity Beck, 49, of Pennsylvania, was charged with two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of third-degree murder and other crimes in the murders of Reid Beck, 73, and Miriam Beck, 72, Kevin Steele, Montgomery County District Attorney. he told reporters.
On Tuesday around 8 p.m., the couple’s son, Justin Beck, walked past his parents’ home without having spoken to them in person or on the phone since Jan. 7. The lights were out, but when he returned later that night, he found Verity, who also lived there, and the body of her father.
Verity appeared in court Wednesday for a preliminary arraignment and was ordered held without bail, criminal court records show. Authorities have yet to find a possible motive. However, investigators discovered a safe in which someone appeared to have tried to break into the home, Steele said.
Verity Beck (pictured), 49, was charged with two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of third-degree murder and other crimes in the murders of Reid Beck, 73, and Miriam Beck, 72 Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele. told reporters
At around 8 p.m. Tuesday, Justin drove past his parents’ home in the 1100 block of Beverly Road in the Jenkintown section of Abington Township, NBC10 Philadelphia reports.
He later told investigators that while he had received text messages from his parents for the past 10 days, he had not had any other contact with them since Jan. 7, although he usually spoke to his mother every day, the man added. media.
Justin saw that his parents’ vehicles were parked outside the property and all the lights inside were off. He then returned to his house and brought soup for her sister, Verity, who lived in the Jenkintown residence with her parents, because she had complained of being sick, NBC10 Philadelphia reports.
The man returned to his parents’ house around 9:30 p.m. and entered the building.
In a downstairs bedroom, he discovered a body on the floor covered by a bloodstained sheet, according to the criminal complaint.
He guessed that the feet sticking out of the blanket belonged to his father.
Investigators said Justin then called Verity, who met him in the living room.
During a half-hour conversation, Verity told her brother that things at their house “had been bad,” according to the criminal complaint.
When her brother said they needed to contact police, Verity said she needed “more time,” according to investigators.
Reid Beck, 73, and Miriam Beck, 72, were found in their Jenkintown home, where Verity Black also lived.
Justin, who knew his sister had a gun, left the property, returned to his own home and called police, according to the criminal complaint.
Abington police arrived at the home around 10:30 p.m. Tuesday and saw that lights were on inside. They tried to contact Verity at the front door, but she did not respond, according to the criminal complaint.
More police units then arrived and set up a perimeter around the property.
The police then sent a small remote-controlled robot to the first floor of the house to find Verity, as well as a drone to peek through the second-story windows. However, they were still unable to locate Verity at that point.
Shortly after midnight, three officers entered the residence, with a strong odor inside.
The officers announced they were inside the building and Verity approached them shortly thereafter, investigators said.
‘Where are your parents?’ asked one of the officers, according to the criminal complaint.
“They’re dead,” Verity Beck reportedly replied.
The police then handcuffed the 49-year-old woman and took her from the house.
Officers then discovered a human foot inside the home with a blanket covering the rest of the body, investigators said.
They also found a chainsaw near the body, blood on the inside of a bedroom door and two trash cans in the bedroom, according to the criminal complaint.
One trash can was empty while the other was heavy.
Inside the trash, officers found a white cloth covering something. The house was then secured and a search warrant issued.
Montgomery County detectives later found the body of a headless man wrapped in a quilt while processing the crime scene.
They also found a furniture dolly partially under the body that investigators believe was used to move the body.
Detectives found a nearby 55-gallon trash can filled with trash bags with body parts inside, according to the criminal complaint.
Detectives also discovered a pillow that appeared to have been hit by bullets, as well as a chainsaw and more body parts inside a trash can in the garage.
Investigators also found unread newspapers from January 7, 2023. This was the date her son last heard his mother’s voice.
Abington police arrived at the home around 10:30 p.m. Tuesday. Shortly after midnight, three officers entered the residence.
Detectives also found a safe with puncture marks mounted on the wall of a second-floor bedroom with tools nearby. This indicates that a person without the key or combination would have been trying to get into the safe, according to the criminal complaint.
Investigators also searched Verity’s room, where they say they found three guns with spent bullets, two of which were registered to her name and one of which had no ownership record.
Later Wednesday, a forensic pathologist identified the dismembered bodies found inside the property as those of Reid Beck and Miriam Beck.
Autopsies determined that both died of gunshot wounds to the head and their deaths were ruled a homicide.
Based on the evidence collected, investigators concluded that Verity likely placed a pillow over her parents’ faces and shot them at point-blank range before dismembering their bodies with a chainsaw, authorities said.
Verity was arrested and charged with first and third degree murder, which means she is not eligible for bail in Montgomery County.
She is being held at the Montgomery County Correctional Center.
“This is someone who is dismembering his mother and father and putting body parts in trash cans,” said Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele. ‘So he’s clearly trying to get rid of the evidence of his crime.’
Residents who knew Reid and Miriam Beck described them as a happy family who often spent summers at the beach. They weren’t aware of any issues going on inside the house prior to their murders.