Man in “Scream” mask accused of killing neighbor with knife and chainsaw in Pennsylvania

Shania Russell, Oliver Gettell
·2 min read

Zak Moyer was charged with criminal homicide in the death of Edward Whitehead Jr., state police say.

<p>Getty</p>

Getty

A man in Pennsylvania has been arrested and charged with criminal homicide after allegedly fatally attacking his neighbor with a knife and a chainsaw while wearing a mask resembling the killer from the Scream movies.

Pennsylvania State Police in Lehighton Borough, Carbon County, identified the suspect as 30-year-old Zak Russel Moyer and said in a news release that troopers had responded to reports of an assault in progress Monday afternoon. "A 59-year-old male was located with life threatening injuries from being struck by a piercing object," authorities said. "He was transported to St. Luke's, Carbon Campus and was pronounced dead."

According to the local news station WFMZ-TV, Trooper Anthony Petroski said the victim, Edward Whitehead Jr., "was struck multiple times with a knife and a battery-operated chainsaw." He added, "This was not just a random attack. They did know each other."

<p>Everett Collection</p> Ghostface in 'Scream 6'

Everett Collection

Ghostface in 'Scream 6'

Petroski told Entertainment Weekly that Moyer "was wearing all black and a Scream mask while the crime occurred."

The Scream franchise launched with the original film in 1996, putting a spin on the slasher genre by featuring characters who are aware of and acknowledge horror movie conventions. The series includes six films, with a seventh in the works, as well as a TV series that ran for three seasons. One of the through-lines of the franchise is a murderous persona known as Ghostface, who wears a cartoonish white rubber mask and dons a black hooded robe.

A representative for Spyglass Media Group, which produces the Scream movies, didn't immediately respond to EW's request for comment regarding the fatal encounter in Pennsylvania.

According to court records, Moyer is currently being held in the Carbon County Correctional Facility, with a preliminary hearing scheduled for April 3. Information about an attorney for Moyer was not immediately available.

Related content:

Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly.