A Pennsylvania woman and two other people accused of plotting to kill her husband on Christmas Eve in what authorities call a love triangle have been ordered to stand trial.
Kimberly Thompkins, 26, Robert Crosby, 24, and Daryith Stevens, 19, waived preliminary hearings Monday in Westmoreland County on charges of attempted homicide and conspiracy.
“This was a very deliberate and premeditated plan,” District Attorney John Peck said.
Prosecutors allege that on Dec. 24, Kimberly Thompkins drove 29-year-old Adam Thompkins to Cedar Creek Park, 25 miles south of Pittsburgh, where Crosby stabbed him. A park employee saw the bloody victim and called police, who found Adam Thompkins “covered in blood” from wounds to his head and unable to talk to police, according to an affidavit of probable cause. He was flown to a hospital for treatment.
Authorities allege that Kimberly Thompkins took a change of clothes and pliers to pull out her husband's teeth to try to disguise the crime, and there was a can of gas to burn the body.
Peck said Kimberly Thompkins wanted a relationship with Crosby and “obviously that meant removing Adam Thompkins from the picture.” Adam Thompkins, who was treated for cuts on his face, declined to comment as he left court.
The judge also approved a prosecution motion to increase bail for each of the defendants from $100,000 to $250,000 despite objections from defense attorneys who said no new evidence had been entered to warrant the increase.
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As the defendants were led from the courtroom, the women didn't respond to questions and Crosby declined to comment. Their formal arraignment is scheduled for Feb. 26.
