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Meghan Macklin, 46, is accused of stabbing MacFarland to death in his Wrightstown home last Oct. 7, authorities said previously. She was arrested in Tennessee that night after allegedly fleeing Pennsylvania in MacFarland's car, prosecutors said.
In a preliminary hearing on Thursday, authorities presented video evidence, photos, and testimony from police to show that Macklin and MacFarland had a "friendly, but sometimes volatile, relationship," the DA's Office said.
Magisterial District Judge Michael W. Petrucci ruled that the evidence was sufficient to send her charges to the Court of Common Pleas, and she is set to be formally arraigned on Aug. 16.
Newtown police found MacFarland dead from "multiple stab and slash wounds" at his 55 Apple Hill Road home, authorities have said. His body appeared to have been cleaned, dressed, and moved to another room after his murder, according to the DA's Office.
Jewelry boxes in the home had been rummaged and a checkbook was missing checks, investigators said. Bedding, clothes, and a rug were found with blood stains, and some items belonging to Macklin were also located at the scene, prosecutors noted.
When police saw that MacFarland's 2013 Mercedes was missing, the car was entered into the National Crime Information Center database as a stolen vehicle, the DA's Office said.
Macklin was arrested when police spotted the car in White Pine, Tennessee, more than 600 miles from MacFarland's home.
She identified herself to police as Janet MacFarland, Richard's late wife, and tried to use a social security card and blank checks to prove her identity, authorities said.
Jewelry, jewelry boxes, and coins were recovered from the Mercedes, along with a pair of Crocs that tested positive for the victim's DNA, according to officials.
Macklin was extradited back to Pennsylvania in April when her bail was denied at a preliminary arraignment, court records show. She is charged with first-degree murder, second-degree murder, robbery, theft by unlawful taking, possession of an instrument of crime, abuse of a corpse, tampering with evidence, unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, and simple assault, according to the DA's Office.
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