Pa. man killed in home on eve of custody hearing

ALLENTOWN, Pa. (AP) — Police say an eastern Pennsylvania man was killed in his home on the morning of a child custody hearing and the children’s mother didn’t show up for court.

Mark Werkheiser was found shot multiple times at his Williams Township home in Thursday morning. Investigators said Elizabeth Collazo didn’t appear at the Northampton County Court hearing that afternoon.

Court records show the couple was in the middle of a bitter custody dispute and had last year filed for protection-from-abuse orders against each other.

The children lived with their father but court records show their mother wanted full custody.

Judge Stephen Baratta granted Werkheiser’s sister and brother-in-law custody of the couple’s four children.

The children are twin girls age 16, and boys 13 and 10.

Investigators say the killing wasn’t random.