The lawyer representing a southeastern Pennsylvania man charged in the stabbing death of his wife last month wants authorities ordered to return $45,000 to his client.
Thirty-six-year-old Walid Mitwalli of Hatfield Township in Montgomery County is charged with first- and third-degree murder and possession of an instrument of crime in the June 7 death of his 30-year-old wife Mona.
Investigators say Mitwalli called police shortly after 3 a.m. on June 7and said that he had just stabbed his wife to death after she came after him with knife. When police arrived to the couple’s home, located on the 2900 block of Denbeigh Drive, they found 30-year-old Mona Mitwalli laying in a pool of blood on the family room floor. Police say she had been stabbed multiple times in the back, head, and throat with a 14-inch carving knife.
Investigators say troubles between the couple escalated a month before the incident. Police say Walid Mitwalli filed for divorce on April 9 in county court. On April 11, investigators say he used the Montgomery County Mental Health System to have his wife involuntarily committed. Police say a doctor determined that Mona Mitwalli did not need treatment and released her.
On April 12, police say Walid Mitwalli filed for a protection from abuse order against his wife in Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas. A temporary order was issued but after a hearing on April 18 the Presiding Judge denied Mitwalli’s petition and dismissed the order, investigators say.
On Wednesday, Mitwalli's lawyer petitioned Montgomery County Court to order authorities to return $45,000 to his client. The Doylestown Intelligencer says the money was in a bank safe deposit box under a friend's name, and defense attorney Hercules Pappas says his client needs it to pay attorney fees.
Pappas' petition says the money has nothing to do with the charges filed in the case nor did it stem from any criminal activity.
Prosecutors declined comment but said they would file a response.
