Pennsylvania home that was scene of mass shooting was ‘dirty,’ filled with bottles of urine

A homicidal family patriarch had become “increasingly controlling” inside his “dirty” northwest Pennsylvania home before opening fire with a gun – linked to a previous domestic violence allegation – and killing eight people, officials said Thursday.

Matthew Stone, 45, died of a self-inflicted gunshot Friday night, tragically ending a years-long raid on his Perry Street home in Erie, authorities said.

The toilets and sinks did not appear to be working and there were 2-liter bottles filled with urine all over the house, Erie Police Chief Rick Lorah said.

“Detectives described the house as extremely dirty,” Lorah told reporters.

Relatives painted a disturbing picture of Stone’s dominant role inside that home, police said.

“According to those close to him, he controlled the family’s finances … and limited the times family members could leave the residence or spend time with loved ones,” Lorah said.

“Family members told detectives his behavior had been going on for years. They described Matthew becoming increasingly controlling after (wife and victim) Michelle (Stone) became pregnant with their first child. Over time, contact with extended family became more limited. Michelle stopped maintaining contact with her friends. Our department also had a record of domestic violence incidents at that home.”

In that 2019 case, Stone was arrested for allegedly making threats with a .40 caliber handgun. But the case fizzled out when Michelle Stone refused to help make her case, Lorah said.

“A gun was involved in this case, the same .40 caliber handgun that was used in Friday’s homicides,” Lorah said. “At the preliminary hearing, Michelle changed her initial statement and these charges were withdrawn. No more recent incidents of domestic violence were reported to our department. Other than this 2019 case, Matthew had no criminal history and was legally permitted to possess this firearm.”

Chief Lorah and Mayor Daria Devlin pledged to review the city’s contacts with Stone to determine whether anyone could have intervened before Friday’s bloodshed.

“Were there opportunities to recognize that this family was in trouble? » said Devlin. “Are there places where our systems could have responded differently and how can we ensure that families in this community who are suffering and struggling like this don’t fall through the cracks?

The victims included the killer’s wife, Michelle Stone, 44; his pregnant daughter, Angelina K. Stone, 24; sons Matthew Stone Jr., 21, and Jonathan Stone, 19; sister-in-law Lora Lee Roberts, 37, and her friend Twila A. Tanner, 51.

Two other unidentified children, a 5-year-old boy and a nearly 2-year-old girl, also linked to the shooter, were killed inside the home, authorities said.

Roberts and his friend Tanner had come to the house when Angelina Stone, who was due to give birth on Monday, asked to be taken to the hospital.

“Angelina was sending messages saying she was planning to leave the family home after giving birth,” Lorah said. “When detectives searched the house after the shooting, they found numerous personal items packed in bags and boxes in Angelina’s bedroom.”

Angelina Stone had also filed paperwork to change her last name to distance herself from her possible killer.

“In that affidavit, she described her concerns about her father’s declining mental health,” Lorah said. “She explained that she wanted to pursue a career in medicine and did not want her association with her father to affect those plans. »