Family Mourns Bristol Twp. Woman As Killer Gets Life Sentence

Jaden Battista was remembered as a gentle soul before a judge ensured her killer would never walk free.

Trevor Weigel, 25, was sentenced Tuesday by the Court of Common Pleas Judge Charissa Liller at the Bucks County Justice Center to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the brutal February 2024 killing of his former girlfriend. Liller tacked on an additional five to 20 years in a state prison.

It was a crime prosecutors described at trial as a premeditated act of rage and obsession.

Weigel was convicted in January 2026 of first-degree murder, burglary, possession of an instrument of crime, and attempted kidnapping.

Battista’s family remembered the Bristol Township woman as a compassionate soul who loved her pets, Tater and Socks, according to prosecutors.

Reading from her own statement and one written by Battista’s father, the victim’s mother told the court that “Jaden was a gentle soul in a world that was far too cruel to her.”

“There is an emptiness in our home and in my heart that can never be filled,” she said, noting the impact on Battista’s two younger sisters.

Prosecutors argued during the trial that Weigel targeted Battista after she ended their brief relationship and blocked his contact information.

On Feb. 16, 2024, Weigel left his job in Warminster Township and drove 30 minutes to the Lower Makefield Township home where Battista was staying. As he drove, he left a series of desperate voicemails to the young woman.

While Battista was on a FaceTime call with her best friend, Weigel forced his way through a first-floor window at a home on Waterford Road.

Battista, barefoot and in pajamas, was forced toward Weigel’s red Mustang in what authorities believed was a botched kidnapping.

When she attempted to run toward a responding Lower Makefield Township police officer, Weigel tackled her and stabbed her 14 times in the neck and chest.

The attack and Battista’s final pleas for help were captured on police body camera footage.

She died at St. Mary Medical Center in Middletown Township after being rushed to the hospital.

Deputy District Attorney A.J. Garabedian read a statement from the friend who witnessed the initial attack via FaceTime.

The friend, who was forced to call 9-1-1 during the incident, described Battista as a “bright soul” whose loss “left a hole in my heart.”

District Attorney Joe Khan said Tuesday that the sentence makes sure Weigel will never kill again.

“Trevor Weigel stole a future full of dreams and love,” Khan said.

Lower Makefield Township police Chief Joseph Kelly thanked the Bucks County Detectives and the district attorney’s office for their work on the case, which was prosecuted by Garabedian and Assistant District Attorney Jessica Frost.