Killer May Have Spied On Home Before Radnor Murder-Suicide: Cops

RADNOR TOWNSHIP, PA – New developments in the murder-suicide that shocked Radnor Township last week indicate Jennair Gerardot, 47, may have spied on Meredith Chapman, 33, before killing Chapman and herself, according to Radnor Police.

Radnor Township Police Superintendent Colarulo told Patch that last week after the grisly murder-suicide in Chapman's home at 43 Lowrys Lane that occurred Monday, April 23, a resident told police they saw a woman with binoculars staring into Chapman's home.

Colarulo said the resident saw the woman looking into the home using binoculars on Saturday, April 21 and emailed him about it after the incident.

During their investigation into the murder-suicide, police found rented Cadillac XTS that Chapman drove from Delaware to Radnor and discovered binoculars, ammunition, rubber gloves, and ear plugs inside it.

He said were the resident to call police about the woman outside Chapman's home, they could have at least visited the home and asked Chapman about any issues she may be having with another person.

In the best case scenario, Colarulo said police could have stopped the woman and maybe prevented the tragedy that stemmed from an apparent affair between Gerardot's husband Mark Gerardot and Chapman.

There is no way to confirm if the woman spotted April 21 was Gerardot, but Colarulo said the chances of two women binoculars in the area of 43 Lowrys Lane two day apart being unrelated to one another is very slim.

Why weren't police called when the woman was seen allegedly casing Chapman's home?

It's unclear, but Colarulo said there are several reasons why people hold back from calling police: there is a concern of inconveniencing police with "trivial" calls, a worry of becoming involved in a crime incident, and fear of being accused of profiling.

However, Colarulo said when intentions are pure, residents should always reports suspicious activity to police.

Image via University of Delaware