Elderly Woman Kills Man With 16-Inch Blade Hidden in Cane: Prosecutors

An elderly woman allegedly killed a man who was fighting with her son by using a 16-inch blade hidden in a cane, according to Pennsylvania prosecutors.

The Montgomery County District Attorney's Office stated that Renee DiPietro, 70, was apprehended over the death of Michael Sides, 31, in Ardmore, just west of Philadelphia, on June 10. Lower Merion Township Police were alerted to a reported stabbing at the intersection of Cricket Avenue and Cricket Terrace at about 1:30 p.m. that day.

When officers arrived, they found Sides unresponsive and hemorrhaging from his chest, and he was pronounced dead at the Lankenau Medical Center at about 2:28 a.m. the following day.

A statement from the district attorney said: "Montgomery County Detectives and Lower Merion Police launched a joint investigation into the homicide.

"The investigation found that a physical altercation occurred earlier that evening at a nearby bar. During the altercation, a friend of the victim's was 'sucker punched' by a male later identified as Jason DiPietro.

"After the altercation, the victim was overheard saying that he was going to 'seek out' Jason DiPietro for assaulting his friend."

The release continued: "Video surveillance recovered from a local business shows Sides' death. On the video, Jason DiPietro can be seen attempting to enter the backseat of a white Nissan sedan, occupied by his parents, Michael DiPietro and defendant Renee DiPietro, when he is stopped from entering the vehicle by the victim.

"The victim, who is unarmed, engages him in a physical altercation. The video then depicts defendant Renee DiPietro exiting the front passenger side of the vehicle and approaching her son and victim."

DiPietro is alleged to have stabbed Sides with a 16-inch blade that was sheathed inside a cane.

When Sides was on the ground, all three got inside the white Nissan and left the area. Surveillance footage found the license plate was bent upwards in order to obscure it and avoid later identification.

At no point did DiPietro or anyone else in the car offer first aid to the victim or call 911 for assistance.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recorded 1,101 homicide deaths in Pennsylvania in 2021.

An autopsy performed by the Montgomery County Coroner's Office on Sides' body found he died of a single stab wound to the chest and that his death was ruled as a homicide.

DiPietro turned herself in to face charges of third-degree murder, involuntary manslaughter, and possessing an instrument of crime. Her bail was set at $50,000 and a preliminary hearing scheduled for 1 p.m. on August 22.

Newsweek has contacted the Lower Merion Township Police for comment via email.