Thomas J. Starr indicted in Saturday night murder in Southington

June 24, 2013 at 6:57p.m.

WARREN

A Trumbull County grand jury on Monday indicted Thomas J. Starr, 28, less than two days after he’s accused of stabbing the man he called his stepfather, and of attempting to kill his mother.

Starr will be arraigned this morning in Common Pleas Court in the death of Jeffrey L. Westfall, 53, and wounding of Lisa M. Frye, 46, also known as Lisa M. Starr, at their Southington Township home.

Starr, charged with murder, attempted murder and felonious assault, lived with his mom and Westfall, but the couple was trying to get Thomas Starr to move out over the past four months, said Major Thomas Stewart of the county sheriff’s office.

Thomas Starr also had an address at 4457 Greenville Road in West Farmington.

Police say Starr stabbed Westfall and Frye each one time in the neck at about 10 p.m. Saturday. Westfall was found on the porch of their home at 5435 state Route 305 in Southington, about a mile west of U.S. Route 422.

Frye lost a lot of blood but was able to make it to the roadway near the house, where she flagged down a passersby, who called 911. She was flown to Cleveland Metro Hospital by helicopter, where she’s in satisfactory condition.

Stewart said he was able to briefly interview Frye at the hospital. She said her son had a bad temper. She and Westfall were not married, but have another son together who is about 18, Stewart said.

Dr. Humphrey Germankiuk, coroner, ruled Westfall’s death a homicide, with the cause pending further investigation.

Starr called 911 from a cell phone shortly after his mother was found in the roadway.

He told a dispatcher at 10:14 p.m. that he “just attempted to kill my mother and stepfather.”

Starr said he was deep in the woods behind the house, but would try to help police locate him. Police were attempting to locate him by using the GPS technology in Starr’s phone.

“I think I stabbed my stepdad in the throat with a knife,” he told the dispatcher.