Dec. 21—PLYMOUTH — Luzerne County Coroner Jill Matthews on Thursday issued a report on Wednesday’s homicide in Plymouth, lisitng it as a homicide and the cause of Ann Marie Murphy’s death “multiple stab wounds and blunt head trauma.”
The report states Murphy was pronounced dead at the scene by Matthews. The report also states that the autopsy was conducted by Dr. Charles Siebert.
Elliot Steed, 36, of Wilkes-Barre, remains in police custody in New Jersey on unrelated charges after his mother, Ann Marie Murphy, 66, was found deceased inside of her home at 223 Gardner St. at approximately 7:15 a.m. on Wednesday.
Murphy was discovered at the threshold of an upstairs bedroom door with a large pool of blood around her head.
According to the search warrant documents, sometime after Murphy was murdered, Steed fled the state in his mother’s car and checked into a New Jersey hospital under an alias, where he accused his family of trying to kill him.
Steed was later arrested by New Jersey police on a warrant of simple assault and making terroristic threats Wilkes-Barre police had filed Tuesday following a domestic dispute between Steed and his girlfriend.
Elliot Steed’s brother, Darrell Steed, told investigators that he believed his brother was responsible for his mother’s death and that Elliot Steed had been “acting crazy lately.”
According to police, Elliot Steed had written several long and incoherent Facebook posts where he accused his family of trying to kill him and that they should be charged with murder.
The search warrant authorized investigators to search Murphy’s home for evidence including, firearms, DNA, fingerprints, bloody clothes, sharp objects, and medical record documents for Steed.
No charges against Steed have been filed regarding the homicide, state police said.
According to the search warrant:
On Dec. 20 at approximately 7:07 a.m., Darrell Steed called 911 to report that his mother, Ann Marie Murphy, was unresponsive. When police arrived on the scene minutes later, they discovered Murphy deceased inside of the residence.
According to court documents, Steed told police that he was woken up that morning at around 5:30 a.m. by his wife, who received a phone call regarding a Facebook post Elliot Steed had made.
Steel allegedly wrote a long and rambling post, in which he said his family “took” his life. Part of the post read: “I don’t like grimy people at all I might be dying today but its crazy how the tortured me watch you see my brothers with nice cars nice house when I died trust me make this true life event into a movie im done im heart broken and suffering bad love all my real family if you think Im lying at the baby sh** just watch you will see them together this don’t seem real to know my own family took my life you they can have all the money RIP peace to me. Im out.”
After seeing the post, Darrell Steed told police that he called his mother and began to drive over to her house to check on her. Steed said he had dropped his brother, Elliot Steed, off at his mother’s house the night before, following the alleged domestic dispute between Elliot Steed and his girlfriend.
When Darrell Steed arrived at his mother’s home, he told police that he saw the rear door was closed, but not locked, which was unusual.
Darrell Steed reported that, after police arrived, Elliott Steed made several calls to him. During one of these phone calls, Elliott allegedly told Darrell, “If you were there, I would have done the same thing to you.”
The search warrant goes on to state that a person was seen on security footage walking out the rear of the Murphy’s residence at around 5 a.m. towards her vehicle, which was parked in the driveway in the rear of the residence. The car was then seen backing out of the driveway towards Rowe Lane.
It is unclear in the search warrant if the person observed on the surveillance footage was identified by police.
According to the search warrant, Elliot Steed later checked into a New Jersey hospital under a fake name, where he began to act erratically. Steed allegedly told hospital staff that his family killed him and then he came back to life. New Jersey police took Elliot Steed into custody after contacting Wilkes-Barre police, who advised them of the terroristic threats warrant.
According to police, Elliot Steed’s girlfriend was interviewed during the investigation and she told police that on Dec. 19, Elliot Steed that had pointed a gun at her and threatened to shoot her. She further stated that she had been in a relationship with Elliot Steed for 17 years and that Steed was convinced she was having an affair and that their 1-year-old child was not his.
During this incident, Elliot Steed was talking to his mother and his girlfriend allegedly heard Elliot Steed read the following text to his mother: “That’s not my baby. I’m going to kill her and me and then it’s over.”
After Murphy’s body was discovered, the Wyoming Valley West School District was placed under lockdown.
The lockdown was later lifted and state police said the incident was isolated and there was no danger to the public.
Reach Bill O’Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.
Amanda Smith is a dedicated U.S. correspondent with a passion for uncovering the stories that shape the nation. With a background in political science, she provides in-depth analysis and insightful commentary on domestic affairs, ensuring readers are well-informed about the latest developments across the United States.
