Palmer Twp. man charged in homicide
Nearly four weeks after a Palmer Township man allegedly swept the legs out from under his girlfriend, dropping her to the floor and fracturing a leg, he’s been charged in her death caused by a blood clot that traveled to her lungs while she recovered from her injury.
Scott K. Wiley, 46, was initially charged with simple assault and harassment related to an alleged March 11 domestic violence attack in Farrah Wertz’s home in the 200 block of East Third Street in Boyertown, Berks County detectives said Saturday.
Besides injuring Wertz, 42, Wiley also threw her 12-year-old autistic son to the floor, scratching his chest, Boyertown police said. Wiley was arrested and was released a day later when he posted $2,500 bail.
Wertz underwent surgery March 15 to repair a fractured right fibula that required doctors to insert two screws and a metal plate.
Two weeks later, emergency crews were called back to her home on a report of a woman in respiratory distress.
Finding Wertz gasping for air in her bed, a Boyertown police officer and then paramedics performed CPR and rushed her to Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest, where she died March 29.
Boyertown police notified detectives with the Berks County district attorney’s office about Wertz’s death and they took over as the lead investigators in the case.
Initially, the Lehigh County coroner’s office said the cause and manner of Wertz’s death were pending additional investigation. An autopsy was performed by Dr. Samuel Land, a forensic pathologist, who concluded that she died as a result of complications from the March 11 leg injury. Based on the autopsy findings and a physical examination of the victim, he concluded Wertz died as a result of a “pulmonary embolism due to deep vein thrombosis complications from blunt force trauma to the right lower extremity,” more commonly known as a blood clot.
Land ruled her death a homicide and Berks County detectives obtained an arrest warrant Thursday, charging Wiley with third-degree murder, involuntary manslaughter, aggravated assault and simple assault.
Wiley, of the 400 block of Jenna Lane, was arrested Saturday in East Stroudsburg. He was arraigned and sent to Berks County jail without bail.