Chester County Man Sexually Assaulted, Killed Grandmother: DA

LOWER OXFORD, PA -- A Lower Oxford man has been arrested and accused of stabbing his grandmother to death after sexually assaulting her.

“Every homicide is disturbing, but a homicide of an elderly person within a family is particularly troubling,” said Chester County District Attorney Tom Hogan.

Kevin Havelow Jr., 23, of Irwin Drive, was out with a friend on Monday, January 18, driving his mother’s car and smoking marijuana, according to the Chester County District Attorney’s Office. He returned home to Irwin Drive at about 1 a.m., where his sister, mother, and grandmother live.

Havelow asked his mother if his friend could stay the night, and his allegedly mother said no.

She did not want to deal with Havelow bringing people over to the house late at night and other kinds of misbehavior, the DA said.

Havelow had only recently voluntarily committed himself to Brandywine Hospital, in December of 2015, for threatening to harm himself.

According to officials, Havelow had been stewing anger at his mother and grandmother for some time, believing that they were preventing him from having a “normal” social life, including having a regular girlfriend and smoking marijuana in the house.

The defendant then began attacking his mother, according to the DA. He dragged her to the ground and sexually assaulted her. After some time, she fought her way free. His sister called 911.

Havelow then allegedly turned his attention to his grandmother, 81-year-old Aleen Watters, who slept on the first floor and used a walker to move about the house.

He found her in her bedroom and sexually assaulted her on her bed, then took multiple knives out of the kitchen and stabbed her more than 20 times in the stomach, chest, and, eventually, head.

State police arrived at the scene, were let in by Havelow’s sister, and promptly took him into custody. Watters, however, died at the scene from her wounds.

“We are all grateful for the swift response of law enforcement and the cooperation of the family to address this matter quickly, thoroughly, and justly,” Hogan said.

Havelow has been charged with first degree murder, attempted rape, and related offenses, the DA said.