According to the Huffington Post, former 1979 Final Four member for the University of Pennsylvania, Matthew White, was stabbed to death in his sleep by his wife, Maria Rey Garcia-Pellon, because she had discovered him looking at child pornography on his computer and felt compelled to kill him.
On February 11 White was pronounced dead due to stab wounds to his neck. According to the police report Garcia-Pellon, just returning to the home, said, "I caught him looking at pornography, young girls. I love kids. I had to do it."
White was the starting center for Penn State in 1979 before going on to the Portland Trail Blazers.
Garcia-Pellon is currently in police custody and it is unknown as to whether she has hired a defense attorney.
A friend of Garcia-Pellon's told police that Garcia-Pellon had come over to her house and told her that she had stabbed White on the afternoon of February 11. The neighbor said that it was unclear whether Garcia-Pellon had witnessed White viewing child pornography. The friend telephoned for the police.
Garcia-Pellon told police that sometime between midnight and 1 a.m., hours after seeing her husband on his computer allegedly looking at pornography, she took two knives from their kitchen and slipped them in the bed beside her – as she waited for White to drift off to sleep.
White suddenly awoke to find Garcia-Pellon stabbing him in the neck with one of the knives. He struggled against her but, due to the wounds, crumpled and said, "I'm dying, I'm dying."
Allegedly Garcia-Pellon then changed her clothes, got into her car and drove off.
Penn athletic director Steve Bilsky issued a statement following White's death that read, "We are greatly saddened to hear about the death of Matt White, and shocked by the details emerging about his death. For Penn fans, Matt is a reminder of some of the greatest days of our historic men's basketball program, the 1979 run to the NCAA Tournament Final Four, and he was a beloved member of the Penn men's basketball family right up until his death."
Bob Weinhauer, who was White's coach at Penn during 1979 when White was one of the Final Four, said, "It was an honor to have been his coach at Penn and to see him develop into a great defensive player and an important member of the 1979 Final Four team. Obviously this is a very difficult time for all who knew Matt, but I prefer to remember his playing the piano in hotels we stayed in on the road or assisting me in coaching the alumni game last year at Penn ... Matt will always be remembered as a true supporter of Penn Athletics. I am very sad that he has left us so soon."
Whatever your reason was for committing a criminal act, you must contact a criminal defense attorney to best work out your case for the courts. Protect your rights by seeking out an attorney as soon as you are charged.
