Woman Charged In Wrightstown Murder

Charges were filed in Bucks County on Wednesday against a 45-year-old woman accused of killing a 72-year-old Wrightstown Township man last October.

Meghan Macklin, 45, of Philadelphia, has been in custody in Tennessee after fleeing the area shortly after the murder of Richard Scott MacFarland in his home at 55 Apple Hill Road.

On Wednesday morning, Bucks County Detectives and Newtown Township police, who patrol Wrightstown Township, filed charges of first-degree murder, second-degree murder, robbery, theft by unlawful taking, possession of an instrument of crime, abuse of a corpse, tampering with or fabricating physical evidence, unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, and simple assault.

Authorities said Macklin remained in custody in Tennessee on a related operating a stolen vehicle case pending extradition to Pennsylvania to face the more serious offenses.

On Tuesday, NewtownPANow.com exclusively reported details on the case and that a suspect was to be charged with killing MacFarland. The details were confirmed Wednesday by authorities and court filings.

Bucks County District Attorney Jennifer Schorn commended investigators for their work on the case. 

Macklin is accused of killing Richard Scott MacFarland at his Wrightstown Township home on 55 Apple Hill Road. The motive was not released by authorities. 

Macklin often stayed with MacFarland and was quickly identified by detectives as a person of interest and then a suspect.

MacFarland’s body was discovered around 4 p.m. on October 7, 2023 by a potential buyer of his home, who called 9-1-1 after seeing him lying on his back inside the residence, police said. 

The coroner determined that he died from multiple stab and slash wounds, ruling the death a homicide. 

MacFarland’s body had been cleaned and dressed post-mortem, with investigators believing that the murder occurred in a bedroom before the body was moved to the living room and kitchen area, police said. 

Macklin was found operating one of MacFarland’s two missing cars, a Mercedes, in Tennessee only hours after his body was located. 

A White Pine, Tennessee police officer had pulled Macklin over after it was reported that she had eaten food in a convenience store without paying for it, according to court papers.

The Philadelphia woman had assumed the identity of MacFarland’s deceased wife during the stop, police said, adding the interaction was caught on the officer’s body-worn camera. 

Schorn said Macklin insisted to the officer that she was MacFarland’s wife, presenting documents with the deceased woman’s name. 

As Bucks County authorities were entering the Mercedes in a federal database as stolen, the officer in White Pine, Tennessee, which is about 40 minutes from Knoxville, was out on the stop with Macklin, police said. 

Police said the Tennessee officer got a hit on the vehicle Macklin was in after the database reported the vehicle was stolen and linked to the homicide.

Macklin was taken into custody, and the Mercedes was towed back to Bucks County.

The district attorney’s office noted the arrest took place approximately 600 miles and about a nine-hour drive from the scene of the murder. 

Once in Bucks County, investigators searched the vehicle and found jewelry, jewelry boxes, and coins that were similar to ones in MacFarland’s home. Investigators also located bank checks and deposit slips in the name of Janet MacFarland. There were also a number of identifications for Macklin and MacFarland from the vehicle, authorities said. 

Some of the items recovered from the vehicle were tested for DNA and had matches for Macklin and MacFarland, authorities said. 

Detectives have been able to piece together Macklin’s movements following the murder through surveillance footage and license plate recognition readers. They learned the vehicle was in New Hope at 11:19 p.m. on October 5, 2023 and in Montgomery County around 1:27 a.m. the next day.

MacFarland’s second missing car was located at a local body shop, Schorn said. 

Macklin was involved in two reported domestic incidents with MacFarland on October 4, 2023 at his home, police said.

In one alleged incident, MacFarland had a small laceration on his forehead. He told a Newtown Township officer who responded that the cut came from Macklin. MacFarland reported to the officer that the two had a fight about another woman he was friends with and who was present. The second woman, who is not a suspect, was transported by police to another address.

Police responded hours later and Macklin told an officer that MacFarland had threatened to kill her, but he denied making any threats. The two declined to be separated and police left.

The district attorney believes Macklin killed MacFarland in the window between the last reported domestic incident and hours before the discovery of his body. 

When asked why it took police a week to confirm there was a homicide, Schorn responded that the delay was for investigative reasons. 

Schorn told reporters Macklin and MacFarland had known one another for two years and were described as friends. However, she noted that authorities believe she may have taken advantage of the older man. 

Investigators are urging anyone with information about the case or Macklin’s whereabouts from October 4 to October 7, 2023, to come forward.

Anyone with information has been asked to contact the Bucks County Detectives at 215-348-6354 or the Newtown Township Police Department at 215-579-1000.

Editor’s Note: All individuals arrested or charged with a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty. The story was compiled using information from police and public court documents.