Wife of homicide suspect waives theft-related charges to court
WEST BROWNSVILLE — With her head down and her brown, curly hair shielding her face from a packed courtroom Wednesday, the wife of a Coal Center man accused of stealing thousands of dollars from his 92-year-old neighbor and then killing her in mid-July waived all charges against her in relation to the thefts to trial.
Earlier this month, state police filed multiple charges against Diane McClelland as a result of their homicide investigation into the death of Evelyn Stepko.
Police charged David A. McClelland, 56, and his son, David James (D.J.) McClelland, 36, with Stepko’s death about a week after she was killed on July 17.
As police continued to investigate, they found that Diane McClelland may have played a role in the thefts from the elderly woman. As a result, Trooper Louis J. Serafini charged Diane McClelland, 48, with dealing in proceeds of unlawful activities, criminal conspiracy to commit burglary, theft, receiving stolen property and hindering apprehension.
Diane McClelland waived all charges against her to Washington County Court during a preliminary hearing before Magisterial District Judge Joshua Kanalis.
Prosecutors also agreed to a request to lower her bond and Kanalis reduced the straight cash bail from $500,000 to $100,000.
Three weeks ago, Diane McClelland’s stepson also waived all charges against him to court for his alleged role in the incident. His father was held for trial in late July on the charges filed against him. Both men face an array of charges including homicide and burglary.
Police said Stepko’s body was found in the basement of her home at 1076 Pike Run Drive, not far from David and Diane McClelland’s home and also near D.J. McClelland’s residence. Serafini said Stepko had been stabbed twice in the neck and had multiple broken ribs.
Serafini said D.J. McClelland told police that he received about $70,000 from his father that he knew had been taken from Stepko’s home. Some of that money was found at D.J. McClelland’s home, police allege.
Serafini said that all three McClellands gambled large sums of money at the Meadows Casino in North Strabane Township in the last year, with the dates of the gambling excursions roughly corresponding to reported thefts at Stepko’s home. The McClellands also allegedly made cash purchases of guns, real estate and vehicles, without apparent income to support the purchases.
Serafini said that information received by police from D.J. McClelland led to the arrest of his stepmother.
Police said Stepko was known to keep large sums of cash in her house, noting that $82,400 was found stashed through the house by police following her death.
David A. McClelland and his son remain in prison without bond while awaiting trial.