ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. — Update (Oct. 5): Mello's charges have now been upgraded from aggravated assault to criminal homicide.
Police have charged a 39-year-old Lancaster County man with aggravated assault related to a domestic incident involving his wife, who was found dead Thursday in the couple's Elizabethtown home, the Lancaster County District Attorney's Office said Friday.
Christopher Alexander Mello, of the 300 block of West High Street, was arrested by police dispatched to his home to conduct a welfare check, according to prosecutors.
Police were contacted by Mello's father, who reported to police that he had received a call from his son, who was "acting crazy" and said the victim was dead, prosecutors said.
When police arrived at the home, officers heard someone inside sobbing, according to prosecutors. They were meet at the door by Mello and a teenage boy, who was carrying an infant. When asked where the victim was, Mello allegedly directed police to a second-story bathroom, where she was found deceased in a bathtub, prosecutors said.
The Lancaster County Coroner's Office was contacted and dispatched to the scene, according to prosecutors. After conducting a visual examination of the victim's body, prosecutors said, the coroner noted the victim had two black eyes and a laceration on her nose, with no blood present.
Mello was taken into custody and transported to the Northwest Regional Police Department for an interview. He allegedly admitted to engaging in a physical altercation with the victim and told police he punched her about the face and neck and kicked her while she was on the ground, according to prosecutors.
The DA's Office said Mello was previously charged with terroristic threats in April in an incident involving the victim at the same High Street residence. Those charges are pending, according to the DA.
"This case is a stark reminder of the existence of domestic violence and the grave consequences that can result," District Attorney Heather Adams said.
Mello was arraigned before Magisterial District Judge Randall L. Miller and denied bail due to the nature of the charges and ongoing investigation of the incident.
Elizabethtown Borough Police and Lancaster County Detectives continue to probe the matter, according to prosecutors.
An autopsy will be performed by the Lancaster County Coroner’s Office. Charges were approved by First Assistant District Attorney Todd Brown and filed by Elizabethtown Borough Police officer Edward Wengiel.
