Elizabeth Collazo was arrested on Tuesday and charged with murdering the father of her four children. The two had been in a bitter custody battle and were supposed to be in court for a hearing on March 15 in Northampton County, Pa.
On that very morning, Mark W. Werkheiser was found dead by one of the couple's twin daughters inside his Williams Township home.
District Attorney John Morganelli said Collazo snuck into the home early that morning and shot Werkheiser multiple times with his own gun as the twins, 16, were sleeping. Collazo, who did not show up at the custody hearing later that day, fled with the couple's two younger sons, according to the D.A.
Morganelli said the murder was premeditated and that Collazo had even asked a friend to show her how to load Werkheiser's gun.
"This lady was driven by hatred, and ill will," Morganelli said, according to an article in The Morning Call.
Police arrested Collazo Tuesday inside a hotel in Easton. She was jailed without bail.
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The custody battle between Collazo and Werkheiser was so contentious that each had tried to get protection-from-abuse orders against the other, according to court records.
Werkheiser was self-employed as the owner of Mark One Flooring, according to his obituary. He was also a leader in the Wilson Wrestling Booster Club and volunteered as an assistant coach for Wilson Borough Community Wrestling.
On the day of his murder, a judge handed over custody of the couple's four children to Werkheiser's sister.
