'We need you to put a fat cow down': Woman conspired with 2 men to kill her 71-year-old mother over custody dispute, authorities say

A Pennsylvania woman and her accomplice allegedly convinced a teen to fatally sprout her 71-year-old parent successful the head implicit the custody of her special-needs son.

Melissa Fox-Beacom, 51, and Matthew Jason Bates, 20, are connected proceedings for the decease of Alice Robson successful St. Clair Township Police Department, a Pittsburgh suburb. Both are charged with homicide, conspiracy and solicitation. Prosecutors allege Bates provided the trigger man, past 18-year-old Robert Patrick Jack, with the gun. According to a courtroom study from local CBS affiliate KDKA, prosecutors said during opening statements that Fox-Beacom told Jack she wanted her parent dead.

"We request you to enactment a abdominous cattle down," Fox-Beacom allegedly told Jack.

Robson was the full-time caregiver to Fox-Beacom's peculiar needs lad who was successful request of 24-hour care. Fox-Beacom and Robson, who was besides the boy's grandmother, were sparring implicit custody of the boy. Fox-Beacom allegedly had Bates, her daughter's then-boyfriend, and Jack spell to Robson's location connected Dec. 11, 2023, with orders to termination the victim.

Jack allegedly changeable Robson doubly successful the head, and with the assistance of Bates hid her assemblage successful a crawl abstraction underneath her home.

Bates is acceptable to attest against his co-defendants. His lawsuit remains ongoing and prosecutors said helium volition inactive beryllium held accountable for his actions.

Fox-Beacom's lawyer told jurors that his lawsuit was nary murderer.

"The lawsuit is already solved," defence lawyer Timothy Dawson reportedly said during opening statements. "They person the killer. He's the prima witnesser for the Commonwealth. They're trying to bring our clients in. They didn't sprout Alice Robson."

As Law&Crime previously reported, the Westmoreland County Prosecutor's Office said successful a news release that the main astatine a schoolhouse successful the section territory called the St. Clair Township Police Department connected Dec. 13, 2023, aft location wellness attraction workers recovered the peculiar needs lad astatine location unsocial and Robson obscurity to beryllium found. Police contacted Westmoreland County detectives who aboriginal determined Robson had been missing for 2 days.

On Dec. 14, 2023, cops and the Greensburg Fire Department's bloodhound squad responded to Robson's location connected Furnace Lane successful St. Clair Township to hunt for her. The dogs alerted authorities to an unfinished crawl abstraction beneath the rear structure of the home. Cops recovered Robson's assemblage there, concealed by a sheet and covered by debris, prosecutors said. She had been changeable doubly successful the head.

Detectives searched the home, wherever they recovered bloodstains successful the surviving room. They aboriginal learned Bates was astatine Robson's location the nighttime of she went missing. Bates told investigators Fox-Beacom brought him to the location to hole a car.

Fox-Beacom had asked Bates to termination Robson connected "multiple occasions," including that evening, helium allegedly told detectives. Bates and Fox-Beacom near Robson's location and helium returned with Jack.

"Detectives were told the 2 entered the home, 2 shots were fired astatine Robson's head, sidesplitting her," the quality merchandise said.

Bates and Jack past moved her assemblage nether the crawl abstraction and tried to cleanable up the messiness successful the house, prosecutors allege.