Who is Jason Shackelford? Pennsylvania man admits to raping and killing girlfriend's daughter, 12, before stashing body in freezer
Warning: This article contains recollections of crime that could be triggering to some readers. Discretion is advised.
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LANCASTER, PENNSYLVANIA: A tragedy unfolded after a Pennsylvania man was arrested for raping and killing his girlfriend's 12-year-old daughter. Jason Shackelford, 39, allegedly confessed to murdering the child and stashing her body in the freezer in her Columbia home on Wednesday, February 8, 2023.
At the time of the tragedy, the mother was working a night shift. However, Shackelford did not stop there, he told the mother that he had kidnapped her daughter and taken her to New York where he promised she was safe. He then attacked and raped the mother before forcing her to a hotel with him. Shackelford has since been charged with criminal homicide, but authorities claimed additional charges will be added following an ongoing investigation, reported New York Post.
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Who is Jason Shackelford?
Shackelford, 39, is a career criminal and a registered sex offender. According to Pennsylvania’s Megan’s Law site, Shackelford has pleaded guilty to indecent assault, terroristic threats, and simple assault following a December 2019 incident. Police responded to a domestic disturbance between Jason Shackelford, 39, and the girl's mother at a hotel in Lancaster on Friday, February 10, when multiple tragedies unraveled.
The mother revealed the couple was in the middle of a breakup and she had asked Shackelford to move out of her house. However, when the mother returned from work, he told her the is safe in New York before attacking and raping the mother in the home. The mother told the police that Shackelford forced her to go with him to a nearby Wyndham Lancaster Hotel, using her little girl as leverage.
'Alert the police!'
At the hotel, he raped her again and later, allowed her to step outside to smoke a cigarette. The mother immediately told the hotel staff to alert the police, prosecutors said. The suspect was taken into custody where he came clean and allegedly confessed to police of slaying the child, said Lancaster County District Attorney’s Office. A grim discovery of the home uncovered the 12-year-old girls remain hidden in a basement freezer, authorities said. An autopsy revealed the child's death due to strangulation, Dr Stephen Diamantoni from Lancaster County Coroner told Lancaster Online.