According to authorities, the man who was found guilty of using a machete to injure almost a dozen kindergarten students at a Pennsylvanian elementary school in 2001 has passed away in custody.
The Pennsylvania Department of Corrections reports that William Stankewicz, 78, was discovered unconscious in his cell at the State Correctional Institution in Dallas on Monday at 7:41 a.m.
“Stankewicz has been incarcerated at the facility near Wilkes-Barre since May 2012, serving a 132- to 264-year sentence for a criminal homicide conviction in York County,” the statement read.
“In accordance with state policy, Pennsylvania State Police were notified and will conduct an investigation,” the statement continued. “The Luzerne County Coroner’s Office will ascertain the official cause of death. The next of kin of the deceased has been informed.”
Related Posts
According to The Associated Press, 14 people were hurt in the attack on February 2, 2001, at North Hopewell-Winterstown Elementary School near York, about 75 miles west of Philadelphia. Eleven of the victims were kindergarten students.
The most seriously injured was Principal Norina Bentzel, who assisted in wrestling Stankewicz to the ground while sustaining deep cuts and a broken arm.
Stankewicz told the judge in court that he was upset about his divorce from his ex-wife, who was born in Russia, and her claims that he had molested her daughters, which was the reason behind the attack. Stankewicz said that after using him to travel to the United States, she made the accusations in order to stay in the nation.
According to the AP, Stankewicz, who was from Johnson City, Tennessee, claimed that he chose to target the elementary school because he couldn’t locate the residence of his ex-wife.
Stankewicz had threatened to kill his ex-wife and her daughters prior to the attack, according to the AP as well. Following his fruitless attempt to have her deported, he threatened immigration officers as well as a congressman from Pennsylvania.
Following the threats, he spent two years in federal prison.
He entered a not-guilty plea to the charges of attempted murder, aggravated assault, and carrying a weapon on school property in the machete attack, as reported by the York Daily Record.
