Three charged in connection to murder, 'abuse of corpse' in Bradford County, police say
Pennsylvania State Police Monday arrested three people in connection to a Bradford County murder.
Towanda-based State Police charged Terry Parker, 46, and Ronda Parker, 48, with criminal homicide, abuse of a corpse and tampering with physical evidence in the killing of 40-year-old Michael Pruitt, officials said.
A third suspect, 36-year-old Summer Heil, was charged with abuse of a corpse and tampering with physical evidence, authorities said.
Police say Pruitt was lured to a residence Friday, shot and killed, his body placed in the trunk of a car, and later cut up and burned.
According to the criminal complaint, Terry Parker shot Pruitt multiple times last Friday inside a house on Sawyer Road in Springfield Township.
The complaint alleges Pruitt was first shot in the kitchen and then shot three more times after running down a hallway and into a bedroom.
According to investigators, Pruitt had been lured to the Ronda Parker residence two or three days earlier.
Investigators said Terry Parker told witnesses he had a body in the trunk of his car Saturday near his house in Harrisburg.
The body was allegedly brought back to the Sawyer Road area, cut up and burned in the early morning hours Sunday, the complaint alleges.
Pennsylvania State Police said bones, presumed to be human, were found at a burn site on the property and blood droplets were discovered on the bottom of a kitchen wall. Otherwise, the kitchen wall had a fresh coat of paint, authorities said.
State Police said a probe was spurred after troopers were asked to check on the welfare of Ronda Parker at approximately 4:30 a.m. on Monday following a "series of disturbing text messages."
The initial investigation "revealed that a homicide occurred" in the Sawyer Road area of Springfield Township, troopers said.
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The Pennsylvania District Court in Troy said all three suspects were arraigned Tuesday and denied bail. They are being held in the Bradford County jail.
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
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This article originally appeared on Elmira Star-Gazette: Three arrested after police investigate Bradford County, Pa. homicide
