Joshua James Engel is charged with first-degree murder in the stabbing of his grandmother and aunt during an argument.
By RICHARD RAEKE
Published May 4, 2004
NEW PORT RICHEY - After hearing testimony from six witnesses, a grand jury indicted Joshua James Engel on Monday afternoon on two counts of first-degree murder in connection with the April 10 slaying of his grandmother and aunt.
Engel, 27, is accused of stabbing his aunt, Debra J. Thompson, 46, during an argument on that Saturday morning. Engel told his mother-in-law that his aunt had pulled the knife on him first, according to the affidavit of Pasco sheriff's Detective Peter Weekes.
When his 68-year-old grandmother, Dorothy Mae Thompson, tried to intervene in the fight, Engel then turned the knife on her, authorities say. The cause of the argument remains unknown.
Weekes testified before the grand jury, which is closed to the public.
The grand jury hears the prosecution's case and decides whether there is enough evidence to move forward with a trial. It does not determine guilt.
Investigators say Engel confessed to his mother-in-law, Shirlene Orr, that he had killed the women the same day. Engel had been on his way to North Carolina to leave his wife, Kelly, with Orr, who lives near Hendersonville, N.C.
Kelly Engel, 28, has been blind for nearly a year after a shunt in her head malfunctioned, said her father, Kenneth Green. After receiving the call from Engel, Orr called her brother, who in turn, called the Pasco Sheriff's Office.
Deputies went to the Thompsons' rented home at 6755 Runnel Drive in New Port Richey and found the two women dead. One woman still had the knife in her back, according to Weekes' affidavit.
Police in McDonough, Ga., arrested Engel the next day at a Budget Inn after a 12-hour stakeout. On April 12, he was taken to the Pasco County jail, where he remains.
