Man Expected To Plead Guilty In Fayette County Woman's Murder
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PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – A man charged in the murder of a Fayette County woman is expected to plead guilty.
The Fayette County District Attorney told KDKA that Thomas Teets will be entering a plea of guilty on Thursday. We do not know whether any type of plea agreement has been made with Teets.
We do know that this came fast, as it was just last Thursday, Oct. 26, 2017, that detectives said Teets led them to Leah Owens' body.
Thomas Teets waived his right to a preliminary hearing, sending his charges to Common Pleas Court. The 32-year-old is accused of homicide, aggravated assault, abuse of a corpse, robbery, theft and tampering with evidence.
On Oct. 26, 2017, police found Owens' body on a rural road above West Leisenring in Fayette County. The 31-year-old mother of two children had been stabbed to death.
Owens had been missing since Sept. 15, 2017. Teets is the last person who was seen with her. Police said Owens' last contact with her mother and sister was when she was asking them for money because Teets had taken possession of her Ford Escape. Police said Teets told them he and Owens were driving around smoking crack and needed the money to buy more.
Inside her abandoned car, police found blood and a broken knife. Investigators said blood belonging to both Owens and Teets was found in the car and on the knife.
Police said Teets' stepfather said when Teets came home on Sept. 15, he was in Owens' vehicle and was covered in blood. His finger was also cut.
According to investigators, the father of Teets' ex-girlfriend said Teets came to him on Sept. 16, asking to borrow a rake and a shovel and appeared anxious and worked up.
According to police, Teets friend said he told him that he lost his mind and kept stabbing Owens and said if they have no body, there will be no case.
KDKA called and left a message for Owens' sister, to get the family's reaction to this news of a guilty plea potentially happening on Thursday. We have not heard back.
