Montco woman pleads guilty but mentally ill in killing, dismembering of her parents

Wednesday, October 2, 2024
Woman charged with murder after parents found dead in Jenkintown
A family member had asked police to check on the couple, a 73-year-old man and a 72-year-old woman, after not hearing from them in more than a week.

ABINGTON TWP., Pennsylvania (WPVI) -- The Montgomery County woman accused of fatally shooting her parents and dismembering their bodies with a chainsaw in the home they shared pleaded guilty but mentally ill to two counts of first-degree murder.

(The video in the player above is from previous coverage.)

After the plea, authorities say 45-year-old Verity Beck, a former teacher at Saint Katherine School of Special Education in Wynnewood, was sentenced to life in prison for each count of first-degree murder to run concurrently. She will receive mental health treatment in prison.

The bodies of Reid Beck, 73, and Miriam Beck, 72, were found on January 17, 2023, after their son told Abington police he had gone to his parents' home to check on them because he hadn't spoken to them by phone since January 7.

READ MORE: Woman charged with murder after parents found dead, dismembered in Jenkintown

He saw a body on the floor, covered with a bloody sheet, and a chainsaw nearby.

The man told police that he spoke to his sister, Verity, and that when he asked whether something bad had happened to their parents, she responded, "Yes."

Police say Verity Beck lived at the home and told her brother that things there had "been bad."

Her brother told Verity that she needed to call the police, investigators said, and Verity responded that she needed "more time." The brother left, returned to his home, and called 911, police say.

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When officers breached the door and made their way inside, Verity walked down the steps with her hands raised.

A chainsaw was located near one of the bodies and both victims were in "various stages of dismemberment."

The coroner determined both victims died from a gunshot wound to the head. It's believed they were killed on or around January 7, 2023.

According to the Morning Call, prosecutors hinted at a motive, alleging Beck was facing financial struggles and when she was confronted by her elderly parents about stealing from them, she killed them.