A woman was ordered to stand trial Thursday for the murder of a 72-year-old man in Wrightstown Township in October, said the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office.
Meghan Macklin, 46, of Philadelphia, was charged in March with the murder of Richard Scott MacFarland in his home at 55 Apple Hill Road. She was taken into custody in Tennessee after fleeing the area in the victim’s car.
At a preliminary hearing at the Bucks County Criminal Justice Center, Deputy District Attorney Brittney M. Kern presented video and photo evidence and testimony from law enforcement officers to show that Macklin killed McFarland inside his home. Testimony presented in court showed that the two had a friendly, but sometimes volatile, relationship, and she sometimes stayed at his residence.
Magisterial District Judge Michael W. Petrucci ruled enough evidence was presented to send all charges against Macklin to the Court of Common Pleas. She is scheduled for a formal arraignment on Aug. 16.
Macklin faces charges of first-degree murder, second-degree murder, robbery, theft by unlawful taking, possession of an instrument of crime, abuse of a corpse, tampering with or fabricating physical evidence, unauthorized use of a motor vehicle and simple assault.
This investigation by Detectives with the Newtown Township Police Department and the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office began on Oct. 7, 2023, when police located Richard Scott MacFarland deceased inside his home.
MacFarland had been repeatedly stabbed and slashed, and it appeared he had been cleaned and dressed after he was murdered. The investigation also found that he was stabbed and killed in one of the bedrooms and then moved to the location where he was found.
An autopsy determined MacFarland’s cause of death to be multiple stab and slash wounds and the manner of death was homicide.
During the investigation, police located jewelry boxes that appeared to have been rummaged and a checkbook missing checks. They also located a bloody rug and bloody bedding and clothing, and items that belonged to Macklin.
Detectives also learned that a black 2013 Mercedes vehicle that belonged to the victim was missing. After the Mercedes could not be located, it was entered into the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) database as a stolen vehicle.
Macklin was taken into custody later that day in White Pine, Tennessee. Body cam video of her interaction with a Tennessee police officer was presented Thursday as evidence.
In the video, Macklin identified herself as Janet MacFarland, the victim’s deceased wife. She also provided police with a social security card and blank personal check in the name of Janet MacFarland as proof of her identity.
Inside the vehicle, detectives recovered jewelry, jewelry boxes, and coins, similar in type to what was observed in MacFarland’s home. Police also located bank checks and deposit slips in the name of Janet MacFarland, along with various identifications for Macklin and Richard Scott MacFarland from the vehicle.
Additionally, police sent some of the items recovered, including a pair of Crocs from the vehicle and latex gloves from the home, to be forensically tested. Both items resulted in matches for the victim’s DNA.
This case was investigated by the Bucks County Detectives and Newtown Township Police Department with assistance from the White Pine Police Department in Tennessee. Deputy District Attorney Brittney Kern and Assistant District Attorney Sara Salvo are assigned to prosecute.
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