Chainsaw-wielding man in ‘Scream’ costume kills neighbor inside PA home, cops say

Police arrested a Pennsylvania man accused of putting on a “Scream” costume, then bursting into his neighbor’s home and killing him, officials and news outlets report.

Officers responded to a home in Lehighton at about 3:30 p.m. Monday, March 25, “for a report of an assault in progress,” Pennsylvania State Police said in a news release. They found a 59-year-old man at the scene with piercing wounds, officials said, and he was taken to a hospital where he later died.

Investigators began searching for a suspect, who was seen wearing a black robe and white ghost-like mask — the outfit made famous by the “Scream” movie franchise, WFMZ reported. But officers didn’t have to look very far, the outlet reported, as the man’s alleged killer lived right next door.

Court documents say 30-year-old Zak Russel Moyer was armed with a chainsaw and knife when he burst into the home of Edward Whitehead Jr. and killed him, LehighValleyLive reported.

Moyer told police his intention was to scare Whitehead, but admitted to stabbing him in the head with a knife, the newspaper reported. Whitehead was also “struck with a chainsaw,” according to investigators.

Police used surveillance video to track Whitehead’s killer, which led them to Moyer, The Morning Call reported. He went home after the attack, hid the weapons, and was watching a movie when police arrived to detain him, according to authorities.

Moyer barricaded himself in his home but eventually surrendered and was taken into custody, the Lehighton Borough Police Department said.

Moyer told police he killed Whitehead because of crimes he had committed, The Morning Call reported.

However, officials said those allegations are “not something we are looking into,” LehighValleyLive reported.

Lehighton is a roughly 80-mile drive northwest from Philadelphia.

This story was originally published March 27, 2024 at 2:41 PM with the headline "Chainsaw-wielding man in ‘Scream’ costume kills neighbor inside PA home, cops say."