Man accused in double murder
Cheltenham resident charged with shooting wife and mother-in-law
A Cheltenham man is accused of the gunshot slayings of his wife and mother-inlaw during a domestic disturbance in the home they shared.
Frederick Lee Clea, 57, of the 7700 block of Green Valley Road, was arraigned Saturday by District Court Judge Christopher J. Cerski on charges of first- and third-degree murder and possessing an instrument of crime in connection with the alleged 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 on Saturday.
Clea, who is being held without bail in the county jail, faces an Aug. 6 preliminary hearing on the charges before Cerski.
Two children in the home at the time of the shootings were not harmed, authorities said.
“The combination of a recently purchased gun and anger toward his wife and mother-in-law proved deadly,” county District Attorney Kevin R. Steele said Sunday.
“Tragically, two young children are now left without parents and a grandparent in their lives, and the defendant faces spending the rest of his life in prison.”
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.
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 saw a semiautomatic handgun setting on a desk, detectives alleged.
An autopsy conducted Sunday determined Latiya Clea suffered 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 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 but did not recall the date.
Township police said they had responded to the Clea residence for alleged domestic-related incidents between Clea and his wife on two prior occasions, Dec. 3, 2017, and Dec. 24, 2019.
When detectives reviewed the 911 recording, a female voice can be heard stating, “Why did you do that? Why did you do that? ... Look at my leg, look at my leg,” according to the criminal complaint.
An apparent gunshot was heard 20 seconds into the call followed by three additional gunshots 32 seconds into the call, detectives alleged.
According to Times Herald archives, Clea, affectionately known as “Coach Fred,” previously ran a youth boxing program at the former Greater Norristown Police Athletic League. In May 2019, Clea gave an impassioned speech to Norristown Borough Council asking for help to restart the program. At the time, Clea said his onetime boxing program also included mentoring.