Pa. man beats wife and son to death, then kills himself

The caller was unrushed and exceedingly polite, even thanking the police dispatcher as he reported that he had beaten his wife and their 7-year-old son to death with a baseball bat in their home in a handsome neighborhood in Warrington.

When police arrived at 167 Redstone Dr. late Friday night, they found a typewritten note on the front door that listed the names and phone numbers of relatives to be contacted on both sides of the family.

"Thank you" was typed at the bottom of the note.

After killing his family, Christopher Moyer, 44, a computer consultant who worked from home, drove his Toyota Camry to Hatboro, put his head on the SEPTA track at the Meadow Avenue crossing, and waited to die.

Police, who found Moyer's body there shortly after 1 a.m. Saturday, figured he knew the train schedule.

What no one - including the Warrington police, the Bucks County district attorney, and relatives - seems to know is why all this happened.

Warrington Police Chief James Miller said Moyer's phone call came in at 9:40 p.m. Friday. Warrington, Warminster, and Warrick police rushed to the scene but Moyer had already left. After trying to make contact with anyone inside, the officers entered through the garage.

They found Irina Geller Moyer, 39, in the bathroom adjacent to the master bedroom. Officers found Dillon in another bedroom and a bloody baseball bat nearby. There were no signs of struggle. Mother and son may have been asleep when the attack began, police said.

Bucks County District Attorney David Heckler said Moyer, after killing his wife and son, texted a relative to say he was sorry.

At 12:56 a.m., Hatboro police received a call from SEPTA that a passenger train had hit a man in Hatboro. Police found $1,300 in Moyer's pocket and his car parked near the tracks.

While police were investigating the crime scene Friday night, Irina Moyer's parents and her brother and sister-in-law, who all live in Northeast Philadelphia, arrived at the house.

They had been expecting the Moyers to drive Dillon to the grandparents' home for a weekend visit. When the Moyers didn't arrive and couldn't be reached by phone, Irina's family drove to Warrington, where police informed them of the deaths, Heckler said.

Christopher Moyer grew up in the village of Neffs, a section of North Whitehall Township in Lehigh County. His father, Warren, 77, said Moyer attended Kutztown University.