Norristown man jailed for knife attack in Hatfield

NORRISTOWN » A Norristown man is on his way to state prison on charges he beat and stabbed his estranged wife’s boyfriend and assaulted the woman too after breaking into her Hatfield home and hiding in a closet to await the victims’ arrivals.

Jason William Beck, 37, of the 900 block of West Marshall Street, was sentenced in Montgomery County Court to six to 12 years in a state correctional facility after he pleaded guilty to charges of aggravated assault, burglary and simple assault in connection with the April 10, 2017, attack.

Judge Risa Vetri Ferman also ordered Beck to have no contact with the victims and to pay $1,703 in restitution in connection with the case. Ferman said Beck also must complete a domestic violence counseling program.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Benjamin McKenna. Beck was represented by defense lawyer Carol Sweeney.

An investigation began about 11:30 p.m. April 10, when Hatfield Township police were dispatched to a residence in the 2300 block of Farview Avenue for a reported burglary in progress during which a resident told authorities that a male intruder just stabbed her boyfriend, according to court papers.

Upon arrival, officers encountered Beck who stated, “I’m surrendering. I’m the guy you want,” according to the arrest affidavit.

An investigation determined that Beck had broken into the home earlier in the day and hid in a master bedroom closet until his estranged wife and her boyfriend came home and went to bed.

At that point, detectives said, Beck jumped out of the closet, sprayed the two victims with pepper spray, hit the man with a baseball bat and stabbed him with a knife. Beck then assaulted his estranged wife as he fled from the residence.

Both victims were taken to an area hospital for treatment of their injuries, and were soon released, police said. The male victim suffered a laceration to his right calf during the knife assault, court papers indicate.

Three children who were inside the home at the time of the attack were not injured.

During a subsequent interview, Beck told investigators that he had arrived outside his estranged wife’s residence around 5:30 a.m. and sat in a tree until everyone left the home, then entered the residence through a window, went into the basement and smoked crack cocaine before going to the upstairs bedroom and hiding in the closet.

Beck told detectives that he sprayed the male victim with pepper spray, then beat him in the head and face with the bat before pulling a knife out of his pocket and stabbing the man in the leg, according to the affidavit of probable cause.

Beck admitted he punched his wife in the face several times, according to the affidavit.

Investigators found a backpack in the closet in which Beck had hid and it contained another knife, masks, gloves, tools and black electrical tape, according to the arrest affidavit.

Beck’s wife had a Protection from Abuse (PFA) order against Beck at the time of the assault that prohibited him from being at the residence or having any contact with his family, according to police. Court documents indicate that the couple had been estranged since February of 2016 and no longer lived together. Beck allegedly threatened to kill both victims prior to the attack.