June 28, 2022
Thom Carroll/for PhillyVoice
Thadius McGrath, 35, of Chatham, is charged with homicide and related offenses for allegedly killing 31-year-old Samantha Rementer at her home in Northampton Township, Bucks County on June 8, 2022.
A Massachusetts man allegedly beat and strangled his girlfriend with a lamp cord at her home in Northampton Township earlier this month, ignoring pleas from the woman's children to not kill her. The man then attempted suicide and survived, Bucks County prosecutors said.
Thadius McGrath, 35, of Chatham, has been charged with murder and related offenses in the death of Samantha Rementer, 31.
Northampton Township police responded to the property on June 8 after McGrath's mother called police to check on her son's welfare. They found a four-year-old girl covered in blood. She told them that McGrath had killed her mother.
"[Daddy] killed Mommy because she was annoying him and then he shot himself accidentally," the child said, according to a criminal complaint.
A 1-year-old girl also was found in highchair in the dining area. Both children were removed from the home.
In a bedroom, authorities found Rementer with injuries to her face and an electrical cord wrapped around her neck, police said. The cord was still attached to a lamp that was covered in blood.
In another bedroom, investigators heard McGrath moaning in pain and found that he had suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the face. He was taken to St. Mary's Medical Center and later transferred to Penn Presbyterian Medical Center to be treated for his injuries.
McGrath's father told investigators that his son had called him and admitted to killing Rementer, police said. McGrath also had called his mother, who requested a well-being check because her son sounded suicidal.
On Monday, McGrath allegedly admitted that he had hit Rementer in the head with a step ladder in her two children's bedroom before beating and strangling her to death. McGrath allegedly told investigators that both children were present during the attack.
"This man murdered Ms. Rementer in front her children, then unsuccessfully tried to take his own life," Bucks County District Attorney Matt Weintraub said. "I cannot think of two more cowardly acts. He will now be made to pay an exacting price for his crimes."
Mcgrath is charged with murder, endangering the welfare of a child, recklessly endangering another person and possession of an instrument of crime. He was denied bail and remains held at the Bucks County Correctional Facility ahead of a preliminary hearing scheduled for July 7.
