Scranton woman to face homicide charges in stabbing death of fiance
Mar. 5—A Scranton woman initially charged with aggravated assault in the stabbing death of her fiance is expected to be arraigned today on a homicide charge, District Attorney Mark Powell said.
Eileen Julie Dougherty, 40, is accused of fatally stabbing George Shencavitz, 31, during an argument at their 922 Delaware St. home Wednesday night. The dispute began after Shencavitz threatened to report that Dougherty violated conditions of her home confinement sentence for a prior conviction for mistreating a mentally disabled woman, police said.
According to an arrest affidavit, police responded to the home around 9:20 p.m. after Shencavitz called 911 to report Dougherty had stabbed him twice. As he was on the phone, a dispatcher heard him cry out that Dougherty stabbed him again.
Shencavitz fled the residence and was found by police in the 1600 block of Penn Avenue, Scranton. He was transported to Geisinger Community Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead around 11 p.m.
Questioned by police, Dougherty said she and Shencavitz had been arguing all day. Shencavitz threatened to report she violated conditions of home confinement imposed for her Sept. 9 guilty plea to charges she and another woman filmed a developmentally disabled group home resident as they made her eat food they threw on unsanitary surfaces, including a bathroom floor.
Dougherty initially was sentenced on Nov. 17 to eight to 23 months in Lackawanna County prison for that case. She was transferred to home confinement on Dec. 28 to serve the balance of her sentence.
In the stabbing case, Dougherty told detectives the argument with Shencavitz grew more heated. She grabbed a butcher knife and stabbed Shencavitz after he punched her in the face. She said she stabbed him a third time while he was on the 911 call because she was "still mad about what he had done to her."
Dougherty was taken to the GCMC for treatment of injuries. Upon discharge, she was charged with two counts of aggravated assault. She was arraigned Thursday by Magisterial District Judge Paul Ware and taken to the Lackawanna County prison without bail.
An autopsy of Shencavitz was completed Thursday around 11 a.m. The cause of death was determined to be multiple stab wounds and the manner of death a homicide.
Powell said detectives did not immediately charge Dougherty with homicide because the investigation was ongoing at the time.
"It was important to make a quick arrest," Powell said. "Based on the ongoing investigation, we anticipate amending the complaint to homicide."
Dougherty will be arraigned again once the homicide charge is filed.
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