by Seamus McGraw
May 31, 2006
UPPER MOUNT BETHEL TWP, Pa. (Crime Library) — There wasn't much sense in arguing with the cop. There had been enough of that in Stephen Austin's life already, and besides, what would it accomplish? The truth was, there really was no convenient way the 26-year-old paramedic and father of three could possibly explain the fact that he was driving around rural Berks County in eastern Pennsylvania with his 22-year-old brother's severed head and hands in his car, authorities said.
And so, Austin decided to cooperate with the police, authorities said. Investigators now say that the young man, who is scheduled to make his first court appearance in the next few days, is facing homicide charges, as well as a raft of other charges including abusing a corpse.
According to police and prosecutors, Stephen Austin and Jonathan had been at odds for some time over a number of issues, not the least of which was the care of their ailing mother, with whom Jonathan, a young man described in local press reports as a music-loving free spirit, sometimes lived.
Though authorities have not released a motive for the slaying, sources familiar with the investigation said that the relationship had become even more heated recently after Stephen Austin and his wife filed court papers seeking to take over guardianship of his ailing mother.
Whether that dispute, or some other animosity between the two brothers, triggered the younger man's slaying remains an open question, authorities say.
What is not in dispute, however, is that whatever the cause, the slaying of Jonathan Austin was singularly brutal.
Next Page
For more daily crime news
default
increase
decrease
email
print
