Norristown man accused of vicious Hatfield assault headed for trial
Jason Beck, 36, allegedly stabbed his estranged wife’s boyfriend and assaulted her after breaking into home
A 36-year-old Norristown man accused of beating and stabbing his estranged wife’s boyfriend — and assaulting her, too — after he broke into her Hatfield home last month and hid in a closet to await the victims’ arrival is headed for trial on nearly two-dozen felony and misdemeanor criminal counts after a preliminary hearing in district court.
Jason William Beck, of the 900 block of West Marshall Street, appeared in police custody before Lansdale District Judge Edward Levine, who held for trial multiple counts of first- and second-degree felony aggravated assault, multiple misdemeanor counts of terroristic threats, simple assault, and reckless endangerment, and numerous other offenses in connection with the alleged April 10 attack.
Hatfield Township detectives have said in court documents that cops were dispatched to the 2300 block of Farview Avenue around 11:30 p.m. on April 10 for a reported burglary in progress in which a resident was said to have been stabbed.
Upon arrival, officers encountered Beck, who surrendered and told cops he “was the guy they wanted,” according to police.
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, police 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 knife, then assaulted his estranged wife before fleeing the residence.
Both victims were taken to an area hospital for treatment of their injuries, and were soon released, police said.
Three children who were inside the home at the time of the attack were not injured.
According to court documents filed in the case, after his arrest Beck told investigators that he had arrived outside his 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, an affidavit of probable cause indicates.
Beck said he punched his wife in the face several times, according to the affidavit.
Investigators found a backpack in the closet in which Beck was hiding that contained another knife, masks, gloves, tools and black electrical tape, court documents show.
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 has been estranged since February of 2016 and no longer lived together, and that Beck had allegedly threatened to kill both victims prior to the attack.
Beck remains behind bars at county jail in lieu of $99,000 cash bail while awaiting his June 21 formal arraignment in Montgomery County court.