Son Who Beat, Stabbed Dad To Death In Delco Gets Prison Time

YEADON, PA — A Delaware County man who beat and stabbed his father to death in 2018 will spend at least 22 years in prison after being convicted of third-degree murder and related charges.

Robert Coult III, 36, of Yeadon, was sentenced to 22 to 50 years in prison after pleading guilty to third-degree murder and two counts of possession of an instrument of crime Wednesday, court records show.

Coult III was arrested and charged with criminal homicide, first- and third-degree murder, possession of an instrument of crime, abuse of a corpse, and tampering with evidence, after fatally beating and stabbing his father, 59-year-old Robert Coult Jr., to death then trying to dismember his body and hide it.

Coult Jr.'s body was found at about 7:30 a.m. Saturday Sept. 15, 2018, at the Philadelphia Country Club on the 1600 block of Spring Mill Road, in the Gladwyne section of Lower Merion Township, authorities said.

Initial investigations revealed the Coult Jr. died at another location and was placed at the scene, authorities said.

An autopsy determined he died from blunt force trauma to the head and the manner of death was ruled homicide, authorities said.

Coult Jr. was reported missing on Sunday, Sept. 16. 2018, by his girlfriend after being last seen Friday, Sept. 14, 2018, Yeadon Borough Police said.

His girlfriend told police she spoke with him at 5 p.m. Sept. 14, but then tried to call him at 5:30 p.m. and was not able to reach him, police said.

The girlfriend provided Pennsylvania State Police with a photo of Coult III, who then gave the photo to Lower Merion Police.

As Yeadon Borough police were investigating Coult Jr.'s disappearance, Lower Merion Police got a photo of him and confirmed him as the deceased man, police said.

After a joint investigation, Coult III admitted to county detectives that he killed his father following an argument about a small amount of money, which led to his arrest and charges being filed, police said.

Coult III told investigators in his confession that his father pushed him down a set of stairs, the Delaware County District Attorney's Office said. Coult III said he repeatedly hit his father over the head with a hammer then got a knife and repeatedly stabbed him, authorities said.

The DA's office said Coult III "brutally" bludgeoned and stabbed his father to death and tried to dismember the body with an electric saw to hide it.

He took his dad's clothes off and put a fresh T-shirt on him, put him in his vehicle, and took him to Lower Merion where he dumped the body. Coult III belted his father into the vehicle and laid his head against the headrest.

Coult also admitted to dumping evidence in Haverford Township, police said.

Police said Coult III showed no remorse when speaking with investigators.