Somerset County man, 60, charged with murder after SWAT finds woman dead inside home
⚠️ Police say Craig Montgomery charged at SWAT officers with a knife in a standoff.
➡️ SWAT found a dead woman stabbed in the chest inside the Franklin Township home.
🔴 Montgomery, 60, faces first-degree murder and weapon charges in the case.
FRANKLIN (Somerset) – A 60-year-old Somerset County man who charged at officers with a knife during a SWAT response was subdued and charged with murder, after police found a woman’s body in the home.
Craig Montgomery, is facing counts of first-degree murder and third-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, Somerset County Prosecutor John P. McDonald said on Wednesday evening.
Franklin Township Police received a 911 call on Tuesday around 10:11 p.m., from a downstairs neighbor reporting loud arguing and requesting a welfare check at an apartment along Majesty Lane, according to an affidavit filed by investigators.
The road is within a residential complex in the Somerset area of town.
Officers arrived and tried to make contact with the residents, but wound up leaving until another urgent call came in about the same address, McDonald said.
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Second 911 call brings police back to Franklin home
This time, based on the second caller’s details, police tried to get inside and made contact with Craig Montgomery.
He told officers he was armed with a knife and had barricaded himself inside. Franklin Township Police then requested help from the Somerset County SWAT team.
At 1:50 a.m. on Wednesday, the Somerset County SWAT team, along with crisis negotiations and tactical medics arrived at the scene.
SWAT officers encounter man with knife
SWAT forced their way in through a sliding door, and Montgomery came at them with the knife.
Members took the defendant down with a stun gun, according to the affidavit.
Inside, they found a woman who had been stabbed in the chest and was pronounced dead.
A second person, a male, in the home was physically unharmed.
Montgomery was taken to a local hospital for medical evaluation and treatment of minor injuries.
Once discharged, he would be held at Somerset County jail pending a detention hearing.
Autopsy scheduled before victim's ID is made public
The 58-year-old victim was a family member, according to the same affidavit in the case.
Authorities did not share the woman’s identity as of Wednesday, pending an autopsy.
Public records show that Montgomery is married.
Anyone with potential information on the case can contact the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit at 908-231-7100 or the Franklin Township Police Department at 732-873-5533.
Information can also be provided through the Somerset County Tip Line at 1-888-577-TIPS (8477).
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