Latrobe veteran sentenced for attack on wife, stepdaughter
A Latrobe veteran will serve up to 10 years in prison for an alcohol-fueled knife attack three years ago that left his wife and stepdaughter wounded.
Scott A. Matuszky, 48, pleaded guilty to charges of aggravated assault and terroristic threats in connection with the Oct. 7, 2017, incident at his Latrobe home in which police said he originally intended to harm himself.
According to police, Matuszky’s wife was wounded one time in the right arm as she attempted to fend off an attack with a Bowie knife. His stepdaughter also suffered three wounds, two to her upper thigh and an third in her lower abdomen when she attempted to shield her mother from the attack, police said.
Police said Matuszky’s family members called police after he returned home from work at 7 a.m., consumed large amounts of alcohol and became unruly as he threatened to kill himself.
His victims claimed Matuszky also threatened them, saying “he was going to pull a ‘David Stahl,’” in what authorities said was an apparent reference to the February 2012 murder of Rebecca Anderson Stahl, 37, whose body was found in Unity days after her parents reported her missing. Her husband, David Frank Stahl, 47, is serving a life sentence for strangling her and dumping her body in a nearby field.
As part of the plea deal approved by Common Pleas Court Judge Tim Krieger, prosecutors dismissed three charges of attempted murder as well as one count each of aggravated assault and terroristic threats.
Krieger sentenced Matuszky — who served in the U.S. military in Somalia, according to his lawyer — to a five- to 10-year in prison term.
In July 2018, Matuszky originally pleaded guilty to five counts, including two charges of attempted murder. A year later, Krieger allowed him to withdraw that plea after Matuszky said he didn’t understand the deal included the attempted murder offenses.
Caravello said Tuesday that Matuszky previously rejected a plea bargain that would have called for him to receive up to 15 years in prison.
Rich Cholodofsky is a TribLive reporter covering Westmoreland County government, politics and courts. He can be reached at rcholodofsky@triblive.com.
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