Indiana County woman charged in fatal stabbing
An Indiana County woman who state police said is responsible for a fatal stabbing was charged Sunday with criminal homicide and aggravated assault.
Jessica Lynn Morelli, 36, of Burrell Township is accused of stabbing a 66-year-old man, who Morelli lived with, multiple times Sunday, according to state police.
Troopers and Blairsville Borough Police were dispatched around 7:15 p.m. Sunday to Morelli’s residence along Pender Avenue. William Joseph Collins was taken to Allegheny General Hospital, where he later died from multiple stab wounds, according to a criminal complaint.
He suffered from 12 stab wounds and lacerations on his back, neck, head, arms and stomach, the complaint said. A pool of blood was found in the kitchen, trailing into the living room and onto the front porch.
Morelli told police Sunday “I stabbed him, and he’s gonna die,” and “He’s gonna die, and it’s my fault, and I murdered him,” the complaint says.
The relationship between Morelli and Collins is unclear, said Trooper Cliff Greenfield.
Indiana County District Attorney Robert Manzi’s office is investigating. A motive for the stabbing has not yet been determined, Manzi said.
Morelli is being held in Indiana County Prison without bail.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. Oct. 15 before District Judge Robert Steele Bell Sr.
Quincey Reese is a TribLive reporter covering the Greensburg and Hempfield areas. She also does reporting for the Penn-Trafford Star. A Penn Township native, she joined the Trib in 2023 after working as a Jim Borden Scholarship intern at the company for two summers. She can be reached at qreese@triblive.com.
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