Trial ordered for Cheltenham man accused in double slaying

A Cheltenham man accused of the gunshot slayings of his wife and mother-in-law during a domestic disturbance in the home they shared is facing a trial in Montgomery County Court.

Frederick Lee Clea, 58, of the 7700 block of Green Valley Road, was held for trial on Thursday, after a preliminary hearing before District Court Judge Christopher J. Cerski, on two counts each of first- and third-degree murder and a single count of possessing an instrument of crime in connection with the alleged July 25 fatal shootings of his wife, Latiya, 41, and his mother-in-law, Mekenda Sanders, 75, inside their home in the Wyncote section of the township.

Clea will remain in the county jail in Lower Providence without bail while awaiting trial.

Clea’s next court date is Feb. 3, 2021, for his formal arraignment on the charges in county court.

A conviction of first-degree murder, an intentional killing, can carry a sentence of life imprisonment or the death penalty. A conviction of third-degree murder, a killing committed with malice, carries a possible maximum sentence of 20 to 40 years in prison.

Two children in the home at the time of the alleged shootings were not harmed, authorities said.

Assistant District Attorney Allison Ruth is prosecuting the case. Clea is represented by defense lawyer Carrie Lynn Allman.

An investigation began at 12:09 p.m. when Cheltenham police were dispatched to the Green Valley Road residence for a 911 call with an open line and the sound of a female yelling, according to a criminal complaint filed by county Detective John Wittenberger and Cheltenham Detective Matthew Gonglik.

When police arrived at the home they found it quiet and knocked on the door and rang a doorbell. Clea allegedly opened the door and stated to officers that he “went too far” and that he “shot them,” according to the arrest affidavit.

Two small children, ages 10 and 5, also came to the door and were unharmed, detectives said.

When police entered the home, they found Latiya Clea and Saunders deceased in the living room of the residence from apparent gunshot wounds. Police observed a semiautomatic handgun setting on a desk, detectives alleged.

An autopsy determined Latiya Clea sustained five gunshot wounds to the chest, right leg, right hip and left thigh, according to court papers. Saunders suffered a gunshot wound to the chest. Both deaths were ruled to be homicides.

During an interview by detectives, Clea allegedly confessed to killing the women after arguing with his wife about a misplaced magazine to his firearm, according to the criminal complaint.

“Clea stated he began arguing with Latiya in their bedroom when he could not locate a loaded magazine to his firearm and recalled her having possession of it the night before,” Wittenberger and Gonglik alleged in the arrest affidavit. “During this argument, Latiya left the bedroom and proceeded to the downstairs kitchen where she and her mother were putting away groceries.”

Clea told detectives he “ransacked” his bedroom searching for the magazine and then went downstairs where he sat on the stairs with his loaded 9 mm handgun, according to court papers.

“Clea stated he continued arguing with his wife when he ‘just started shooting,’” Wittenberger and Gonglik wrote in the criminal complaint. “Clea informed investigators that prior to him shooting, there had been no physical altercation and that his wife and mother-in-law ‘did nothing wrong.’ Clea also informed investigators his mother-inlaw had not been participating in the argument.”

During the investigation, detectives recovered a Glock model 9 mm semiautomatic handgun and they recovered eight fired 9 mm cartridge cases at the scene, according to court papers.

Clea allegedly told investigators he purchased the handgun earlier this year