We know how the story ended, but more details of what happened in the days and hours before a set of events took the life or two men, and ruined the life of two woman is coming in to focus, as police leave a trail of crumbs that lead us through this story. In our investigation we have talked to numerous people who in some way are involved with the investigation, and by their admissions lead us to file this story with the faith that what is written is correct to the best of our ability to fact check, without official clarification or verification.
The couple, Ronald Victor Machado, 21 of Jamestown, and Krystle S. Weaver, 20, of Fowler, Ohio, lived with Heather Turk, 22, a recently separated mother of two, ages 1 and 2 years of age at a tri-plex she rented in downtown Greenville located at 94 Clinton Street, about 1 mile from Hempfield Wal-Mart, and about 20 minutes from Heather Turk’s father, Thomas Lorigan, age 44, killed in the attack that also injured Heather Turk, who is now hospitalized in a secure area of Greenville UPMC, and whose visitation is restricted to her immediate family, according to one family member.
On the day before the murder, Monday, the pair we’re kicked out of Turks home, who was the sole lease holder in the small apartment at the back of the residence tri-plex located at 94 Clinton street. A relative of the victims tell others that Turk said that she disliked Machado, and that he was lazy, messy and annoyed her.
The pair, Muchado and Weaver, who professed love through their MYSPACE page, and who according to that same web page indicated they we’re planning to marry soon, had no place to go, Muchado’s mother, according to another press report, refused to let him move back in, she to was either scared of him, or disliked his prior acts, which include an arrest for what we believe was a drug or alcohol related offense, according to an un-named source at the Trumbull County Jail, who said while in custody that Muchado told police several stories or versions of the crime, of which they were unsure how true the information was in reality due to the conflicting reports.
The pair were confirmed to have had some sort of confrontation with the father daughter pair at the Hempfield Wal-Mart near Heather Turks home in Greenville only a short time before the couple, Machado and Weaver returned to Turks residence, let them self in with a copied set of keys they did not return to her before the were thrown out, unscrewed the light bulb in the residence to leave Turk and her father in darkness when they returned, and waited for Turk and Lorigan with Turks children, and some groceries to enter the apartment that night.
The pair, Muchado and Weaver then took an ornamental sword, about a foot and a half long, to two feet in size along with a dagger which was part of the sword collection possibly owned by Turks former love interest, the father of her children, and used it on Lorigan first, killing him quickly, and Turk second.
Police later visited a local merchant who deals in collectible items, Hammils Collectibles, with a sword, wrapped in an evidence bag, blood still on it, and inquired about the weapon, and or collectible, and if he recalled who purchased it from him, while Hammel was unable to say for sure if Turks husband, her brother or Muchado himself purchased that sword, the weapon that killed the pair, he did recall selling many items of that nature to a family member with the same last name as Turk, but he did not know if it was her husband, or her husbands brother, and he remembered Muchado in his store in the past, but did not recall if he sold him an item like the one police showed him in the evidence bag. The items require no background check to purchase, nor have cerial numbers imprinted on them.
Hammil also said that a family member of Lorigans, told him that police are looking for a possible third person in the Murder Investigation who may have been involved, possibly driving the car. He said the family member told him that is why police had not released the location of Turks recovery, and restricted her visitation to only family.
The hospital, UPMC Greenville, would not confirm if she was a patient, however, a call to the switch board was put through to her room, a family member answered. The hospital would also not say if she was receiving special security and refused to comment.
Officials of Wal-Mart would only say police had inquired about the night of the murder, but did not say what if any security video they planned to request for the trial, if any, refusing to allow us to pin them down, referring us to the corporate legal department, which has-not returned out request for information. A private source at Wal-Mart says the couple and the events were tracked through surveillance in the stores camera system, but said they had not gotten a subpoena for that footage.
After fleeing the scene, the pair headed across the Ohio Border to his or her parents house, a portion of this story we are trying to nail down, trying to sort it out, where police were able to capture Muchado first, using a parole violation detain-er to hold him until they investigated and a warrant for his arrest and extradition paperwork was issued. Muchado did not fight the extridition, Weaver also did not fight the extridition.
While in custody, and possibly under-the-influence of drugs, Muchado told police various descriptions of the crime and the crime scene. Weaver later said that she was outside the home during the attack, however, police reviewed a 911 tape where Turk frantically called 911, screaming, before the phone dropped from her hand as she was attacked. A voice, later identified as Weavers yelled at her, “DID YOU CALL 911, DID You…. ? And then the phone went silent, disconnected, at which time, about 12:45, police were called to the scene, Greenville fire and rescue paramedics arrived, and Life Force Ambulance rolled two medical units, taking both Turk and Lorigan to UPMC Greenville, where Lorigan was pronounced dead, and removed to the county coroners office for an official autopsy that confirmed the weapon police are seeking the ownership of, was the weapon of opportunity causing his death. We are unsure if the same weapon, or a smaller dagger in the collection was used to stab Heather Turk, 22, in the back base of her neck and skull.
Turk laid bleeding, as Weaver put her foot on her face and head, then pulled the knife from her body. The knife was, according to a police report, stuck in her skull.
Police did not say if Weaver ever admitted to her role or if she lawyer-ed up.
The Mercer County Jail had been on stand by to receive Muchado, and told Allen Media that he was in custody, and should of been shipped to them that night, several days later, in solitary confinement in the Booking section of the jail, under a constant suicide watch, a guard looking in his cell every 15 minutes he bound his hands with material’s in his cell, and managed to tie a bed sheet to something in the cell, and hanged himself.
At 8:00 the guard on duty found him, tried to save him, calling for the Jail’s trained medics, and 911 to transport him to a nearby hospital where they also tried to save him, but they were unable to do so, he was pronounced dead, his body released to he family for burial, no information on that service was released. The official cause of death, suicide.
Weaver was then notified of his death, put on watch, and delivered to Judge William Fagleys office on Tuesday, the day after Memorial Day, where she was arraigned on the charges of Homicide, and Attempted Homicide, robbery and other related charges. The District Attorney Kochems saying , “It’s one less case to try, but it changes nothing,” a remark that those in the community said was callous, and not politically correct and that he should of taken in to consideration the family of the killer, Muchado.
At this time, Weaver is in solitary confinement in the Mercer County Jail, after her arraignment, her lawyer not present, awaiting trial, and pre-trial motions as police consider the possibility that possibly a third homicide suspect is at large, and try to ascertain information about the swords and possibly a dagger used in the killing and attempted murder of Turk, now recovering.
Police say the couple had also carried the family TV from the apartment, and Weaver and Muchado Stole $440.00 from Turks purse after she lay on the floor bleeding, in an un-responsive state according to a report of a medical worker at the scene.
After placing police tape around the scene, and the rear of the building, Youth and Family Services took the two children from the scene, releasing them to a family member, possibly the Grandmother, according to another family member who we are not identifying who spoke to another individual we spoke with.
A child Psychologist, and a medical specialist in Child trauma, told Allen media that it is unlikely that the children will grow up to remember any of this, and neither child will be of help to police at this time, or in the future.
No one will verify if Turk has been awake and responsive, the medical report officially released said the knife wound she sustained was in the lower part of her skull, near the brain stem, which could indicate a vegetative state, however, no medical body would confirm if this was the case, nor did any family-member who spoke to anyone we were in contact with give specific clarification that the words, “shes improving”, indicated any such recovery of her non responsive state.
Police would not confirm why Muchado had been previously arrested, nor the nature of his crime, nor if Lorigan had any prior criminal record. Computer background checks of the parties involved did not turn up an solid information about the parties, or if they had a prior criminal record.
Individuals who worked with Lorigan at St. Paul’s Nursing home, his sole employer for many years said he was reliable, dependable and a quiet person who loved his grand children.
The police have been under fire for not telling the public important information, as in the former case of Howard Urquhart who was found dead in the woods near Jamestown, who lived minutes from Greenville in Hempfield Township.
Police issued a blanket statement saying the public was not in danger, but local blogs lit up chastising Kochems for insulting the public intelligence, the public worried a suspect might behave like a caged animal and lash out if threatened.
Kochems later chastised local blogs for spreading rumors most of which later turned out to be true and confirmed, with the exclusion of our original report that the pair were shot, information we got from the Restaurant Workers Next to the Crime Scene. In the end , they were stabbed, but the information about the scene turned out to be correct in its entirety.
Police will not confirm is a third person is involved, information about this fact came to us second hand via a family member who talked to another person in the invesigation we spoke with.
