Man charged with brutal killing of father

A 30-year-old man has been charged with the stabbing death of his father, 74, according to authorities.

NORRISTOWN » A Lansdale man allegedly used a butter knife to kill his adoptive father and “tried to pull out his eye” during a brutal early morning attack at their home, telling detectives he did so after snorting two bags of fentanyl.

Preston Alvin Lonnberg Lane, 30, of the 1000 block of Delaware Avenue, was arraigned before District Court Judge Edward Levine of Lansdale on charges of first- and third-degree murder and possessing an instrument of crime in connection with the March 27 murder of his adoptive father, 74-yearold Thomas Lane, at their single-family residence.

“This father was asleep in his bedroom and was savagely attacked by his son,” Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin R. Steele alleged on Thursday. “Now the man is dead and a son is behind bars.”

Lonnberg-Lane is being held without bail at the Montgomery County Correctional Facility while awaiting his April 9 preliminary hearing.

An investigation began at 4:44 a.m. March 27 when Lonnberg-Lane called 911 and reported he “tried to kill everybody in the house.”

“I, I need help… I need, you guys got to get some people here quick… like there’s people dead,” Lonnberg-Lane told emergency dispatchers, according to a criminal complaint.

As dispatchers continued to talk to Lonnberg-Lane he allegedly admitted to hurting someone and uttered, “I need help… there’s something wrong… I don’t know what’s going on… I don’t know what to do,” according to the arrest affidavit.

When Lansdale police arrived at the residence, they found Lonnberg-Lane standing barefoot in the driveway and observed he had an injury to his left hand and blood on his T-shirt, according to court documents.

Another resident of the home directed police to a bedroom where they located Thomas Lane “bloodied and on the floor of the bedroom.” Police said Thomas Lane is the adoptive father of Lonnberg-Lane.

“Thomas Lane had a traumatic right eye avulsion and his eye was located on the floor. Thomas Lane was semi-conscious and officers observed apparent stab wounds to his head, neck and arm,” Montgomery County Detective John Wittenberger and Lansdale Detective Joel Greco alleged in the arrest affidavit.

“Adjacent to Thomas Lane, officers observed blood stains on top of a bed and a butter knife,” detectives added.

Thomas Lane was transported by medical helicopter to Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in critical condition but died two days later, at 2:59 p.m. March 29, court documents indicate. An autopsy determined Thomas Lane’s cause of death was “hyperextensive brain hemorrhage” and the manner of death was listed as homicide.

“Additional pertinent findings were evidence of strangulation and cutting wounds to the head, neck and face,” detectives alleged.

When detectives interviewed Lonnberg-Lane he said he had snorted what he believed to be two bags of fentanyl at 3:30 a.m. March 27 and attempted to sleep.

“Lonnberg-Lane said he was listening to music and ‘got up and grabbed a butter knife from the kitchen and tried to kill my dad,’” Greco and Wittenberger alleged in the arrest affidavit.

Lonnberg-Lane allegedly told detectives he stabbed his adoptive father in the neck, punched him, placed him in a choke hold and “tried to pull out his eye,” according to the criminal complaint.

Lonnberg-Lane said he stopped the attack after hearing his father utter, “Preston, Preston, what are you doing?” detectives alleged.