Woman To Stand Trial For Murder In Death Of Bucks County Pharmaceutical Executive
NEWTOWN, Pa. (CBS) -- A Bucks County woman will stand trial on murder charges in connection with the shooting death of a pharmaceutical executive who was found dead inside his Washington Crossing home.
Prosecutors say 33-year-old Jennifer Morrissey was angry about 65-year-old Michael McNew – the man she referred to as her "sugar daddy" – trying to end their relationship. They point to text messages from just before the shooting that they say show Morrissey went to McNew's home on August 6 with the intent of killing him, including one where she says she'll cut him like she's "field dressing a deer."
READ: Woman Charged In Slaying Of Bucks County Pharmaceutical Executive
But her defense attorney, Philip Steinberg, says as that text conversation continues...
"Nobody is threatening to end anything," he said. "What's really going is this man saying, 'come home, give it one more chance, come home.'"
According to testimony at the preliminary hearing, a detective says Morrissey told a cellmate in county prison that she slapped a gun out of McNew's hand, pushed him into a chair, and then while pointing it at him, the gun went off by accident.
But prosecutors say Morrissey staged the scene to make it look like a burglary, including flipping McNew's pockets inside out.
Her formal arraignment is set for December 8.