Prosecutor: Pa. man killed twin, parents

Associated Press

KING OF PRUSSIA, Pa.

Officials suspect mental illness may be to blame for a man’s brutal slayings of his parents and twin brother in an upscale suburban Philadelphia neighborhood, but authorities still are trying to determine what prompted the attack, a prosecutor said Monday.

Montgomery County District Attorney Risa Ferman said investigators still are trying to sort out the details of the violent attack that left Joseph and Susan McAndrew and their 23-year-old son, James, dead.

James’ twin brother, Joseph Jr., is charged with murder in the Saturday-night slayings in Upper Merion.

“There is really nothing at this point that can tell us why these events transpired, what happened to provoke them, and really what went on inside of his head at the time,” Ferman said.

Ferman called Joseph McAndrew Jr. “very much a loner and an introvert.” She declined to discuss specifics but said he had “some aspect of mental illness.”

Joseph McAndrew Jr. is being held without bail on charges of first- and third-degree murder. It was not clear if he had an attorney.