Stepdaughter of Pa. murder victim controls assets

BUTLER, Pa. (AP) — A western Pennsylvania judge has appointed the stepdaughter of a wealthy murder victim to oversee the man’s assets instead of the man’s son, a New Jersey man charged with killing his father and stepmother.

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette says today that Kathleen Neal did not comment after a Butler County judge named her permanent trustee of Kenneth Abbott’s assets.

Abbott’s 40-year-old son, Colin, of Randolph, N.J. is jailed on charges he murdered his father and stepmother, Celeste Abbott, at their home near Slippery Rock in June.

Police say Abbott told relatives the couple died in a fiery car crash, but authorities say he killed them and burned their remains.

Neal asked for control of the assets after Colin Abbot was accused of forging his father’s signature to access $500,000 of the dead man’s money, among other allegations.