Man Found Guilty By Jury Of Murder Of Bristol Twp. Woman

A Northampton Township man was convicted for the February 2024 stabbing death of a Bristol Township woman.

Trevor Weigel, 25, of Northampton Township, was convicted Friday by a jury and faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison.

The jury found Weigel guilty of first-degree murder, burglary, criminal attempted kidnapping, possession of an instrument of crime, unlawful restraint, false imprisonment, evading arrest, and disorderly conduct. Bucks County Court of Common Pleas Judge Charissa Liller also found him guilty of a summary count of harassment, according to the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office.

It took jurors, who heard heard testimony and saw evidence this week, to reach the verdict in just over an hour.

The conviction stems from the slaying of Jaden Battista, 19, of Bristol Township’s Croydon section, outside a residence in Lower Makefield Township.

Prosecutors argued during the trial that the killing was a premeditated act triggered by Battista ending the couple’s brief relationship.

Deputy District Attorney A.J. Garabedian told jurors that Weigel became consumed by rage and obsession after Battista blocked his phone number and social media accounts.

“If he couldn’t have her, nobody was going to have her,” Garabedian said. “And he made sure of it.”

Evidence presented by the prosecution showed that on Feb. 16, 2024, Weigel left his job at a manufacturing plant in Warminster Township and drove 30 minutes to Battista’s home.

During the drive, he left a series of increasingly desperate voicemails, according to the prosecution.

At 2:22 p.m., Lower Makefield Township police and officers from surrounding townships were dispatched to the 2500 block of Waterford Road for a burglary in progress.

Prosecutors said Weigel forced his way through a first-floor window while Battista was on a FaceTime call with a friend.

Battista, who was barefoot and wearing pajamas, was forced toward Weigel’s red Mustang in a botched kidnapping attempt.

When Battista attempted to run toward a responding officer, Weigel tackled her and stabbed her 14 times in the neck and chest.

Body camera footage captured the attack and Battista’s final pleas for help.

She was pronounced dead at St. Mary Medical Center in Middletown Township.

The defense sought a conviction of voluntary manslaughter and argued that Weigel “snapped” after Battista allegedly confessed to infidelity.

Weigel testified Thursday that the pair had reconciled in February and that Battista had accepted a marriage proposal after a Valentine’s Day dinner.

Garabedian told the jury there were inconsistencies in Weigel’s testimony, noting there was no evidence of a ring or a proposal.

Cellphone data and voicemails also indicated Weigel’s anger began well before he arrived at the scene, according to the prosecution.

After the attack, Weigel stabbed himself in the neck and led police on a foot chase across a fence and onto I-295 before being apprehended.

“He took my reason for breathing,” Jeanie Millward, Battista’s mother, told this news organization in 2014. “I want to look him in the eye and let him know the reality of what he’s done to our family and I want him to live with it every second of every day.”

Bucks County District Attorney Joe Kahn praised the work of the Lower Makefield Township Police and the prosecution team, led by Garabedian and Assistant District Attorney Jessica Frost.

Weigel is scheduled to be sentenced on March 23.