PA Man Was Sawing Decapitated Woman's Limb When Police Showed Up, DA Says

Nicholas P. Scurria, 32, of Clifton Heights, had been arguing with the 58-year-old victim at the Willows Apartments on South Springfield Road in Clifton Heights around 4:40 a.m., the Delaware County District Attorney's Office said, citing a neighbor who called 911.

The 911 caller was awakened by loud screaming and banging in a neighboring apartment, according to a criminal complaint. The witness also claimed to have heard "sawing-like noises" and the gathering of plastic materials.

A responding officer who could see inside Scurria's apartment through a lit bedroom window, observed him cutting a woman's left leg with a machete, the complaint states. He looked closer and noticed that the woman had been decapitated, according to court papers. 

Officers then held Scurria at gunpoint outside the apartment after additionally discovering rolled-up plastic materials next to the woman's body, according to the complaint.

Soon after, police forcibly entered the house and nabbed Scurria, who allegedly said during the arrest, "she tried to cut my balls off," the complaint states.

The victim's name was being withheld pending notification to her family.

Scurria was arraigned and remanded to Delaware County Prison with bail denied, records show. His preliminary hearing is set for Feb. 22. He was charged with possessing an instrument of crime, and corpse abuse, according to court records.

“This morning’s horrific murder is a sad reminder of the threat that many women face on a daily basis," District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer said.

"Preliminary indications are that the victim and the defendant formerly had a romantic relationship and were – at the time of the murder – sharing a residence. Based on the defendant’s statements at the time of his arrest, in response to what the defendant perceived as a threat to his masculinity, he brutally killed - and then dismembered - his victim. His actions were cowardly as well as evil, and he will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law."

Anyone in need of assistance is urged to contact the Domestic Abuse Project of Delaware County, at (610)-565-6272.

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