A bloodied man walks into hospital, says he killed his boyfriend

AP
Fri, 08 Mar 2019 00:00 UTC

© Charlotte Observer

Matthew Van Zandt, 30, is accused of fatally stabbing 31-year-old Ian Shannon in Manheim Township on March 6, 2019.

Authorities say a man covered in blood walked into a Pennsylvania hospital and told staffers he had just fatally stabbed his boyfriend.

Manheim Township police say 30-year-old Matthew Van Zandt is charged with homicide in the death of 31-year-old Ian Shannon, whose body was found Wednesday in a Lancaster home.

Authorities say Van Zandt walked into an Allentown hospital early Wednesday and told an emergency room nurse about the slaying. They say he also told a hospital security guard that the knife he used was in his backpack.

Authorities had gone to the Lancaster home shortly before 1 a.m. Wednesday for a reported domestic dispute but got no response at the residence. They returned more than two hours later after learning of Van Zandt's statements.

It wasn't known Friday if Van Zandt has retained an attorney.

Comment: More from Pennsylvania Real-Time News, 3/7/2019:

A man was fatally stabbed earlier this week in Lancaster County after he reportedly mocked his boyfriend, Matthew M. VanZandt, who was trying to end their relationship, police revealed in charging documents. VanZandt, 30, of Monroe County later admitted to the stabbing while being evaluated at a Lehigh County hospital, the documents show.

According to a criminal complaint filed by Manheim Township police, officers were called about 12:48 a.m. Wednesday to a home at 417 Dickens Drive in Lancaster Township, where a domestic dispute was reported, but, when they arrived, there were no lights on in the home and no one answered the door.

A little less than three hours later, they got a second call to the residence. This time it was because VanZandt had arrived at St. Luke's Hospital in Lehigh County covered in blood, police said. VanZandt told hospital staff that he had just killed his boyfriend, according to the complaint.

Officers again arrived at the home shortly after 3:30 a.m., and they were able to get inside, when a neighbor, who knew a code to access its garage, let them in, police said. They searched the home, eventually making their way to a second-floor bedroom, where police said they found 31-year-old Ian Shannon lying dead and naked in a bed, with his head hanging off of the edge.

Shannon was covered in blood, police said, adding that he had suffered multiple stab wounds to his torso. They specifically pointed out one wound: "a large laceration that extended from the base of the victim's ribs to his nipples. Officers also noticed blood had covered the majority of the bedroom," police said.

Shannon was pronounced dead at the scene by the Lancaster County Coroner's Office.

Police then spoke with the neighbor who let them into the home. According to the complaint, the neighbor said he called in the earlier domestic dispute, and, at that time, he heard loud screaming coming from the home.

Police said the neighbor told them VanZandt and Shannon were boyfriends and they lived in the home together. The neighbor also reported that the men had a history of arguments, according to the complaint.

Hospital staff, who treated VanZandt, also were interviewed by police. According to the complaint, officers were told that VanZandt arrived at the hospital with a hand injury, and, when he arrived, he was covered in blood - blood that he said was not his own.

Online court documents show that VanZandt faces a single felony charge of criminal homicide.