UPPER DARBY TOWNSHIP, PA – A 57-year-old Pennsylvania woman has been charged with murder after allegedly stabbing her adult daughter multiple times and attacking the family dog before turning the knife on herself, authorities said.
Diane Grovola faces charges including criminal homicide, first- and third-degree murder, possession of an instrument of crime, and aggravated cruelty to animals following the early morning attack at the family’s Secane-area residence on Tuesday.
According to police, Grovola’s husband John discovered the horrific scene upon returning home from his overnight shift at UPS around 6:30 a.m. He first encountered the family dog bleeding from stab wounds, then found his wife sitting on the living room couch holding a knife.
When John Grovola checked on his 23-year-old daughter Daniele in her bedroom, he found her unresponsive and immediately called 911. Daniele Grovola had suffered multiple stab wounds to her face, chest, legs, and back.
“Sorry, I should have stabbed myself first,” Diane Grovola reportedly told responding officers at the scene.
Investigators located a large black-handled knife embedded in the living room wall, its blade covered in apparent blood. Diane Grovola had also inflicted superficial stab wounds to herself.
The family dog was transported to a veterinary facility for treatment of its injuries.
Diane Grovola was denied bail following her arraignment. No motive for the attack has been released by authorities.
