Norristown man who fatally shot his father, wounded a child, learns his fate
Steven Mark Quadrel sentenced to 22 to 50 years in prison
NORRISTOWN » A Norristown man professed his love for his father, a beloved New Jersey doctor, and remorse for fatally shooting him 23 times before learning he’ll spend decades in prison for the crime.
“I’m not sure what possessed me to do the things I did that day. I loved my father more than anything. He was my best friend. I cut the time short with him and it’s not fair,” Steven Mark Quadrel, 27, of the 600 block of East Airy Street, choked back tears as he addressed a Montgomery County judge before learning his fate on Friday in connection with the Oct. 24, 2018, incident. “I would never harm my father in the right state of mind.”
Quadrel claimed he was taking the drug Adderall and implied he was suffering a mental health breakdown and paranoid delusions in the days leading up to the fatal shooting.
Quadrel previously pleaded guilty to charges of third-degree murder, aggravated assault of a victim less than 13 years of age and possession of an instrument of crime, admitting that he acted with a reckless disregard for the value of human life when he fatally shot his father, 58-year-old Mark Quadrel, during an altercation at his borough residence and then shot at and wounded a child he encountered outside the home.
Judge William R. Carpenter sentenced Quadrel to 22 to 50 years in prison, explaining any lesser sentence would depreciate the seriousness of the crimes.
“The impact on the community is extensive and extreme,” Carpenter said.
Third-degree murder is a killing committed with malice, which under the law, can include a hardness of heart, a reckless disdain for the consequences of one’s actions, a reckless disregard for the value of human life or a wicked dis
position.
Deputy District Attorney Kelly Lloyd sought a lengthy prison sentence against Quadrel.
“This case absolutely is a tragedy. It’s interfamily violence. He shot his father in the back of the head 23 times and then shot at a little boy who was outside on a scooter, minding his own business, playing with his friends. It was very concerning behavior, that he would lash out against a beloved family member and then to a complete stranger for no apparent reason,” Lloyd said.
“The only way to insure that the public is safe is a long period of incarceration,” Lloyd added.
Authorities said Quadrel shot his father, a beloved physician who lived in New Jersey, while the victim reportedly was visiting his son’s Norristown residence, reportedly after becoming concerned about his son’s mental health.
“Dr. Quadrel lived his life as a hero and he died as a hero. He was a medical doctor. He taught medical students, mentored them, treated patients. He recognized that something was going on with his son and so he came to try to get him the help, the treatment that he needed, and an argument ensued and that’s what led to his death,” Lloyd maintained.
Defense lawyer Coley Reynolds sought a mitigated sentence that would not warehouse Quadrel in prison for a good portion of the remainder of his life.
“By all accounts, Steven Quadrel loved his father. Not one witness could deny that. We’re left scratching our heads as to how this could happen. Something was off,” said Reynolds, who pointed out Quadrel suffered from drug addiction in the past and was suffering a mental health breakdown at the time of the shootings.
Reynolds argued Quadrel should not be compared to a “cold-hearted killer.”
Linda McLoughlin, sister of Mark Quadrel, described her brother, as an “attentive father” of three and as a “selfless,” dedicated doctor. McLoughlin, testifying via Zoom, addressed Steven Quadrel directly, telling him his conduct devastated a family and a community.
“Your dad was selfless and you are selfish. He loved you unconditionally and always wanted what is best for you…tell us why you made this horrific decision to kill him,” McLoughlin said.
Quadrel’s brothers, Christopher and Ryan, testified they are at a loss to explain the fatal shooting and struggle to understand what happened, one of them adding the victim was “always there for Steven and they were close.” Those who testified said Quadrel and his father were “best friends.”
The investigation began about 3:59 p.m. Oct. 24 when Norristown police were dispatched to the 600 block of Sandy Street for a report of a man shooting a gun in the vicinity. Arriving officers found Quadrel there and he was taken into custody after a struggle with police, according to the criminal complaint filed by county Detective James Reape and Norristown
Detective William Klinger.
Police recovered a Beretta 9mm semiautomatic pistol with a laser sight hidden behind a parked truck.
A 12-year-old boy told police that he was riding his scooter on Sandy Street with two friends when he saw a man, later determined to be Quadrel, run past him and then moments later run back toward him.
“(The child) said the male pointed a gun with a red beam at his face, lowered the gun and shot at him. (The child) said he ran and later discovered he was struck across the top of his left hand,” Reape and Klinger wrote in court papers.
Authorities said the child was treated at a local hospital for a non-life-threatening graze wound to his hand and arm and released.
“I was shocked. I didn’t know what to do, except run,” the boy, now 15, testified on Friday.
The boy’s mother testified her son underwent counseling after the incident, adding she forgives Quadrel but wanted the judge to impose an appropriate sentence.
A Sandy Street resident told police he was inside his home when he heard gunshots and went outside and observed a man with a handgun. The resident told Quadrel to put the gun down and Quadrel dropped the gun behind a parked truck, according to the criminal complaint.
At the scene, Quadrel asked police about his father and repeatedly stated he killed his father, court papers indicate.
“Quadrel also kept asking officers to check on his father and said, ‘I think I shot him,’” Reape and Klinger alleged.
In an attempt to locate Quadrel’s father authorities went to Quadrel’s East Airy Street apartment at 10:30 p.m. and discovered a deceased Mark Quadrel, lying face-down on the floor of the apartment.
“The male sustained multiple gunshot wounds. Also inside the apartment was an empty pistol magazine, multiple fired shell casings and black plastic gun box,” Reape and Klinger alleged.
Detectives recovered 23 fired cartridge casings and eight projectiles inside the apartment.
An autopsy determined Mark Quadrel died as a result of gunshot wounds to the head and torso. The manner of death was ruled homicide.
When he was interviewed by detectives, Quadrel allegedly stated his father arrived unannounced at his residence on the afternoon of Oct. 24.
“Quadrel said he was having a conversation with his father which escalated into an argument. Quadrel then went to his truck, retrieved his 9mm Beretta pistol and returned to his apartment bedroom where he loaded the pistol,” Reape and Klinger alleged. “Quadrel then walked into the living room and began shooting his father in the back and head as he fell to the floor.
“Quadrel said he fired 2030 shots at his father and emptied ‘four or five clips,’” detectives added. “After shooting his father, Quadrel said he ran from his apartment toward Sandy Street and encountered a ‘kid’ on the street. Quadrel said the sight of the kid ‘creeped’ him out and he fired one shot at him.”