Man in 'Scream' mask killed neighbor with chainsaw and knife, police say

CARBON COUNTY, Pa. (WOLF) — Police in Pennsylvania say a man wearing a "Scream" mask killed his neighbor with a chainsaw and a knife and is now facing homicide charges.

State police responded to an aggravated assault case involving multiple weapons in Lehighton.

The victim, Edward Whitehead, was found in his Carbon St. home with life-threatening injuries after being struck with a chainsaw and a knife. Whitehead was taken to St. Luke's Hospital -Carbon campus, where investigators say he succumbed to his injuries and died.

“Through investigation, we were able to develop a suspect. The suspect's house had a perimeter around it, and through successful negotiation, the suspect exited and was taken into custody without an incident,” said Petroski.

According to Petroski, the suspect, identified as 30-year-old Zak Moyer, was wearing an all-black outfit along with a mask worn by the "Scream" horror movie character.

“He eventually came out, there was communication between him and troopers on the scene and he did open the door himself, and exit on his own will,” Petroski said.

Moyer is charged with one count of criminal homicide.

The victim and the suspect live in close proximity of each other, their history is something we won't get into, this was not just a random attack, they did know each other,” Petroski said.

Court documents allege Moyer admitted to stabbing Whitehead in the head with the knife, before returning to his residence to watch a movie until police arrived. According to the criminal complaint, Moyer admitted to hiding the chainsaw in the attic and putting the knife in a drawer.

Troopers interviewed Moyer’s sister, who says he informed her that he wanted to kill his neighbor one week ago.

WOLF spoke to a stunned neighbor who wanted to remain anonymous.

“I feared for my grandchildren at the time because we were all told to stay inside the house, and keep your doors locked,” the neighbor said. “My granddaughter was just walking home from school when the cops came flying, She’s in 3rd grade, and she was petrified."

Moyer admitted to police he had intended to murder Whitehead because of crimes he believed that he committed. A search warrant of Moyer's residence revealed the knife, chainsaw and the black costume and mask.

He is currently incarcerated at the Carbon County Correctional Facility. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for April 3.