A daughter shot her parents in the head before dismembering their bodies with a chainsaw and partially stuffing the pieces into trash cans, authorities said on Wednesday.
Verity Beck, 49, of Pennsylvania, was charged with double first-degree murder, double third-degree murder and other felonies in the murders of Reid Beck, 73, and Miriam Beck, 72, Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele told reporters.
Around 8pm Tuesday, the couple’s son Justin Beck drove past his parents’ home after not speaking to them in person or on the phone since January 7. The lights were out, but when he returned later that evening, he found Verity, who also lived there, and his father’s body.
Verity appeared in court on Wednesday for a preliminary arraignment and was ordered to be held without bail, criminal court records show. Authorities have yet to find a possible motive. However, investigators discovered a safe that someone appeared to have attempted to break into in the home, Steele said.
Verity Beck (pictured), 49, has been charged with double first-degree murder, double third-degree murder and other felonies in the murders of Reid Beck, 73, and Miriam Beck, 72, Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele told reporters
Around 8 p.m. Tuesday, the couple’s son, Justin Beck, drove past his parents’ home along the 1100 block of Beverly Road in the Jenkintown neighborhood of Abington Township, NBC10 Philadelphia reports.
He later told investigators that while he had received text messages from his parents for the past 10 days, he had not heard their voices or spoken to them on the phone since January 7, although he generally speaks to his mother every day, they said Media added.
Justin saw that his parents’ vehicles were parked outside the property and all the lights inside were off. He then returned home and brought soup for his sister Verity, who was living with her parents at the Jenkintown residence, after complaining about her illness, reports NBC10 Philadelphia.
The man returned to his parents’ home around 9:30 p.m. and entered the property.
In a downstairs bedroom, he discovered a body on the floor covered by a blood-stained sheet, according to the criminal complaint.
He assumed the feet sticking out of the ceiling belonged to his father.
Investigators said Justin then called for Verity, who met him in the living room.
During a half-hour conversation, Verity told her brother that according to the criminal complaint, things “went badly” at her home.
When her brother said they needed to contact the police, Verity said she needed “more time,” according to investigators.
Reid Beck, 73, and Miriam Beck, 72, were found at their home in Jenkintown, where Verity Black also lived
Justin, knowing his sister had a handgun, then left the property, returned to his own home, and called police, according to the criminal complaint.
Abington Police arrived at the home around 10:30 p.m. Tuesday and saw that the lights were on inside. They attempted to contact Verity at the front door, but she didn’t respond, according to the criminal complaint.
Then other police units arrived and established a perimeter around the property.
Police then sent a small remote-controlled robot to the first floor of the house to find Verity, as well as a drone to look in the second-story windows. However, at this point, they still have not been able to locate Verity.
Shortly after midnight, three officers entered the residence, with a strong odor emerging from inside.
Officers announced they were inside the building, and Verity approached them shortly after, investigators said.
‘Where are your parents?’ one of the officers asked, according to the criminal complaint.
“You’re dead,” Verity Beck reportedly replied.
The police handcuffed the 49-year-old and took her out of the house.
Officers then discovered a human foot inside the home with a blanket covering the rest of the body, investigators said.
According to the criminal complaint, they also found a chainsaw near the body, blood on the inside of a bedroom door, and two trash cans in the bedroom.
One trash can was empty while the other was heavy.
In the trash, officers found a white linen sheet covering something. The house was then seized and a search warrant issued.
Montgomery County detectives then found the body of a decapitated man wrapped in a comforter while investigating the crime scene.
They also found part of the body underneath a moving van, which investigators believe was used to move the body.
According to the criminal complaint, detectives found a 55-gallon trash can nearby filled with garbage bags containing body parts.
Detectives also found a pillow that appeared to have been hit by bullets, a chainsaw, and other body parts in a garbage can in the garage.
Investigators also found unread newspapers dated January 7, 2023, the date her son last heard his mother’s voice.
Abington Police arrived at the home around 10:30 p.m. Tuesday. Shortly after midnight, three officers entered the residence
Detectives also found a safe with drill marks attached to the wall of a second floor bedroom with tools nearby. This indicates that, according to the criminal complaint, a person without a key or combination had attempted to enter the safe.
Investigators also searched Verity’s bedroom, where they allegedly found three guns with spent cartridges, two of which were registered to her and one of which had no title.
Later Wednesday, a forensic pathologist identified the dismembered bodies found at the property as those of Reid Beck and Miriam Beck.
Autopsies revealed they both died from single gunshot wounds to the head and their deaths were both ruled homicides.
Based on the evidence gathered, investigators concluded that Verity likely placed a pillow on her parents’ faces and shot them at point-blank range before dismembering their bodies with a chainsaw, officials said.
Verity was arrested and charged with first- and third-degree murder, meaning she is not eligible for bail in Montgomery County.
She is being held at the Montgomery County Correctional Facility.
“This is someone who dismembered their mother and father and put body parts in trash cans,” Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele said. “So she’s clearly trying to get rid of the evidence of her crime.”
Residents who knew Reid and Miriam Beck described them as a happy family who often spent summers at the beach. They were unaware of any problems that had occurred in the house prior to her murder.