Leandro Barberena (Philadelphia Police Dept.) and officers outside the home where he allegedly killed his wife and mother-in-law (WPVI screenshot)
A 43-year-old man in Pennsylvania was arrested this week for allegedly killing his wife and mother-in-law after police said they were able to link him to the fatal stabbing through a bloody glove left at the scene. Leandro Barberena was taken into custody and charged with two counts of murder in the slayings of 58-year-old Alma Barberena and her mother, 75-year-old Angela Trejo, authorities announced.
According to the Philadelphia Police Department, officers at about 1:30 p.m. responded to a home in the 6000 block of Bingham Street in regards to two unresponsive females.
During a Thursday afternoon news conference, Philadelphia Police Homicide Unit Staff Inspector Ernest Ransom confirmed that Leandro Barberena was the individual who placed the initial 911 to report the two bodies in the home, saying they were “covered in blood.”
Upon arriving at the scene, first responders entered the home and discovered two female victims — later identified as Alma Barberena and her mother — in the basement of the home. Both victims were blood-soaked and appeared to be suffering from multiple stab wounds “throughout the body.”
Medical personnel on the scene pronounced both women dead at about 1:45 p.m. that day.
Police said that a bloody glove recovered from the scene quickly became a key piece of evidence.
“We also discovered at the crime scene, one glove covered with blood,” Ransom said. “A search warrant was executed on Mr. Barberena’s vehicle and we located a matching glove.”
Authorities also noted that Leandro Barberena had injuries that appeared to be defensive wounds on his hands. He told authorities that the wounds came from having recently laid down tile.
Per Ransom, investigators believe that Alma Berberena went to her parents’ home to help them with a telehealth appointment for her father. It is alleged that Leandro Barberena followed his wife to his in-laws’ home and fatally stabbed the two women.
About two hours after the alleged attack, Leandro Barberena placed the call to police.
Authorities have not speculated as to a possible motive for the murders and police noted that they had not previously responded to any domestic dispute calls at the married couple’s home.
Neighbors in the community told Philadelphia ABC affiliate WPVI that news of what is alleged to have transpired came as a shock.
“They were excellent neighbors, and it’s hard to believe,” Jack Burkhardt, who lived near the couple, told the station.
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