February 19, 2024
Provided Image/Bucks County D.A.'s Office
Jaden Battista, 19, of Lower Makefield, was fatally stabbed outside her home on Feb. 16, 2024. Trevor Weigel, 23, has been charged with killing her.
A Churchville man has been charged with homicide after he allegedly stabbed his ex-girlfriend 15 times outside her home in Lower Makefield on Friday, Bucks County prosecutors said Monday.
Trevor Weigel, 23, allegedly attacked Jaden Battista, 19, after police had been called to her home on the 2500 block of Waterford Road for a domestic incident involving an attempted break-in, authorities said.
The first officer arrived at 2:20 p.m. and noticed Weigel standing outside the residence next to a red Ford Mustang with the passenger door open, police said. Weigel then charged in the direction of Battista with a knife before the officer realized she also was outside the home, according to investigators.
Weigel allegedly tackled Battista to the ground and stabbed her in the upper body. The officer rushed to Battista's aid and Weigel fled on foot. As he ran, he began stabbing himself in the neck, investigators said.
Battista was taken to St. Mary Medical Center, where she died. An autopsy determined her cause of death was multiple stab wounds to the neck and chest.
Other Lower Makefield police officers pursued Weigel, who had jumped over a fence, until he was tased and taken into custody, authorities said. Police found a knife along the path where Weigel had fled. Weigel also was taken to St. Mary's Medical Center to be treated for his injuries. He is expected to survive.
Battista and Weigel previously were in a relationship of about two months, investigators said. They had been broken up for about two months prior to the stabbing, but had "remained amicable," Bucks County District Attorney Jennifer Schorn said at a press conference Monday.
The circumstances that led to the stabbing remain under investigation. Authorities have recovered body-worn camera footage from the officers who responded.
"What we do know, and it's particularly heartbreaking, is that Jaden was on the phone with a friend," Schorn said. "She had called a friend and she indicated, I believe, that Trever's trying to get in the house."
Weigel allegedly went to Battista's home unannounced and entered the property through a first-floor window, Battista's friend told police, according to a criminal complaint. During the phone call, the friend said it sounded like there had been a commotion followed by a "thump" and then Battista's voice became muffled as if her mouth had been covered. When the phone call ended abruptly, the friend tried calling back multiple times without an answer.
Lower Makefield Township Police Chief Kenneth D. Coluzzi said the officer who witnessed the stabbing tried his best to save Battista.
"He (tried) to take every measure he (could) to save her life while other police officers give chase to this coward who was running from the scene," Coluzzi said.
Weigel is charged with criminal homicide, burglary, possession of an instrument of crime, disorderly conduct and harassment.
"This case serves as a reminder that one can never fully appreciate the lethality of a situation when enduring domestic violence," Schorn said.
