A neighbor sought in the double murder of a young Pennsylvania couple was found dead Wednesday of a drug overdose in Philadelphia, authorities said.
Daniel Mooney, a person of interest in the deaths of Tyler Roy, 28, and Christina Roy, 27, was pronounced dead early Wednesday after he “acted alone” in killing the young couple after entering their Churchville home via an unlocked door, CBS Philadelphia reports.
“Our team is unequivocally convinced that he killed the victims and he acted alone,” Bucks County First Assistant District Attorney Gregg Shore told reporters. “Both victims have been stabbed multiple times and both victims were shot. It’s clear there was a struggle in the upstairs of the home.”
The bodies of the couple were found early Tuesday by a painter at their home, which had no sign of forced entry. Mooney lived in the same neighborhood as the couple but didn’t have a prior relationship with them, Shore said.
“Clearly vibrant lives have been lost as a result of this tragedy,” Shore continued. “This tragedy is unfathomable to all of us and we pray for the victims and pray with the victims’ families.”
The cause and manner of the couple’s deaths will be determined during autopsies early Thursday.
The couple’s Ford Edge SUV was found in nearby northeast Philadelphia on Wednesday, along with Mooney’s cellphone. Investigators believe the couple was killed sometime overnight Tuesday. A rifle and shell casings were found inside the home, CBS Philadelphia reports.
Eileen Bily, of Churchville, characterized the Roys as a “sweet couple” who ingratiated themselves into the community after buying their two-story home in 2016.
“They made a point of introducing themselves to all us old-timers,” Bily told Philly.com. “This is just the saddest week here.”
The motive behind the slayings is unclear, but Mooney “struggled with addiction,” Shore said.
Relatives of the couple requested privacy following their deaths, Philly.com reports. Tyler Roy worked as a construction estimator, while Christina Roy did work as a professional photographer, neighbors told the paper.
“I expected to hear the news that she was pregnant, that there would be little kids running around this neighborhood again,” Bily said. “Not this. No one could imagine something like this could happen.”
