Law Enforcement Identifies Victims Of Double Homicide At Westmoreland County Home
PENN TOWNSHIP, Pa. (KDKA) - Multiple police agencies are investigating a double homicide in Penn Township, Westmoreland County.
The coroner was called to the 2100 block of Claridge-Elliot Road on Monday when a man and woman were found shot to death.
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Photos from the scene showed a heavy law enforcement presence. The focal point was in the driveway of a farmhouse set back off the road. The couple who lived there kept to themselves and they were seen riding a motorcycle on Sunday afternoon.
Westmoreland County District Attorney John Peck later identified the victims as 27-year-old Mara Casale and 40-year-old Jacob Erdeljac. No word from officials on a motive, and Peck could not say if the victims were targeted.
Duquesne Light confirmed Erdeljac was an employee. A company spokesperson released a statement, saying:
"We can confirm that one of two deceased people found Monday morning at a home in Penn Township in Westmoreland County was employed by Duquesne Light Company. Our thoughts are with all those who are affected by this terrible tragedy."
A friend of Casale told KDKA's Jennifer Borrasso that the 27-year-old was a Penn-Trafford High School graduate.
Neighbors say they knew something wasn't right when a crime scene investigation van and dozens of police cars filled the street Monday morning.
Details from police have been limited, but Penn Township Police put out a BOLO for a vehicle after saying dispatchers received a call from someone who found the victims on Monday around 8 a.m.
"Somebody came here because they were looking for someone and they found the crime scene," Peck said.
Police later found the vehicle, a 2005 red Toyota Tacoma pick-up truck with an extended cab. It has the license plate ZHC8636, a thin blue line sticker on the rear left driver's side window, and a black bug shield visor on the front. The truck was found in Manor Borough.
Police do not know where the suspect is and have not provided a description. Police say the truck was stolen from the crime scene on Claridge-Elliott Road. It belonged to the victims, police said. The vehicle was not at the home when police responded on Monday morning.
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DA Peck also said investigators are reviewing whether the car bomb that exploded in North Huntingdon early Sunday morning is connected to the double homicide.