A Levittown woman “experiencing a mental health crisis” and apparently responding to internal stimuli stabbed her mother several times with a knife. She is now charged with aggravated assault and related offenses and was jailed Wednesday after she was cleared by medical staff at Lower Bucks Hospital.
According to court records obtained by Lower Bucks Source, Bristol Township Police were dispatched just after 4:30 pm to the 20 block of Ivy Hill Road in Levittown for a stabbing report. The Levittown Fairless Hills Rescue Squad were initially dispatched to the residence for a behavioral health emergency called in by the grandmother of suspect Emily Rizzo, 31 of Levittown.
Rizzo’s grandparents told responding officers, Rizzo stabbed her mother several times and were unsure where Rizzo was at the moment. Police performed a search of the home clearing the backyard area and then entering the home to locate Rizzo. Shortly thereafter, Rizzo’s grandmother reported hearing her from her bedroom. Police located Rizzo screaming and yelling face down on her bed about the devil and Lucifer. Police ordered Rizzo to put her hands up and come out of the bedroom. She did not respond. She was ordered a second time to get out of bed with her hands up and come out of the bedroom. She failed to comply, according to court records. Officers than dragged her out of the bed by her feet, which she passively resisted, police said, as she continued to yell about God, Satan, Lucifer and saying she was going to kill everyone.
Police interviewed Rizzo’s grandmother about what led up to the stabbing. She told officers Rizzo came home intoxicated and high on methamphetamines yelling about Satan and God, also threatening to take her own life. Rizzo grabbed a steak knife while yelling; her grandmother yelled to Rizzo’s mother to come downstairs because “Emily” had a knife and was trying to kill herself. A scuffle broke out in which a third family member joined, in an attempt to get the knife away from Rizzo. During the scuffle Rizzo allegedly stabbed her mother causing at least six stab wounds/lacerations on her body – four to the stomach/torso area.
Rizzo’s mother, while being treated for the stab wounds at Lower Bucks Hospital additionally, told police essentially the same details as above adding that her daughter said to her in the scuffle for the knife ‘ back off or I will stab you and not myself.”
Rizzo was held at Lower Bucks Hospital approximately 16 hours and was cleared medically. She was arraigned by Judge Terrence Hughes who remanded her Bucks County Jail in lieu of bail set at 10 percent of $200,000.00. Her next court date is scheduled for July 16th. She currently has no attorney of record.