Lansdale Man Charged in Stabbing Death of Mother on Halloween

In a crime that is Hitchcock-ian in nature, a Lansdale man has confessed to police to allegedly stabbing his mother to death and slashing her throat on Halloween morning.

Warren H. Pennick, 54, of 635 Salford Avenue, has been arrested and charged with first- and third-degree murder in the stabbing death of his mother, Lorraine Pennick, 79, in the home she shared with her son, according to Lansdale Police and Montgomery County District Attorney Risa Vetri Ferman.

Pennick is also charged with possession of an instrument of crime, police said.

Pennick walked into Lansdale Police station on the morning of October 31 and reported to the dispatcher that he had just killed his mother, police said. He told the dispatcher he lived at 635 Salford Avenue, police said.

Police responded to the address and found Lorriane Pennick dead with multiple stab wounds to her body, police said.

A search of the home by forensic detectives found Lorraine Pennick at the bottom of her basement stairs in a pool of blood with a a 7-inch knife in her torso, police said.

Lorraine also had defensive wounds to her wrists and her throat was slashed, police said.

Montgomery County Coroner Dr. Walter Hofman will conduct an autopsy today.

Bloody clothes were also found in the home, and police said Warren Pennick changed out of the clothes before coming to the police station to report the murder.

Pennick was arraigned before District Judge Harold Borek on Oct. 31 and sent to Montgomery County prison without bail, police said.

A hearing is set for Nov. 8 before Borek at 9:30 a.m.

The case will be prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Teresa Kibelstis and Assistant District Attorney Jordan Friter.  

Lorriane Pennick lived two houses up on Salford Avenue from Whites Road.