A woman was charged in connection with the stabbing death of her husband after his body was found outside their home under a mattress in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
50-year-old Janet L. Winbush is charged with criminal homicide and abuse of a corpse in the death of 53-year-old Deric Davis.
Davis was reported missing by his brother on December 21, 2020, almost two weeks after he was last seen by family members. His brother reported that he hadn’t showed up to his job at Amguard Security for weeks.
Winbush allegedly told Davis’ family members that she’d last heard from him on December 14, according to a criminal complaint.
The complaint alleges Winbush pretended to help search for Davis, even calling local hospitals to see if he’d been admitted.
When Pittsburgh detectives went to Winbush’s home to check on his whereabouts they came across a gruesome scene.
“Detectives knocked on the door and while awaiting a response, one of the detectives noticed a mound on the ground next to the front porch and steps, covered by a deflated air mattress,” the complaint states. “The detectives also noted the smell of a decaying body. They looked under the mattress and discovered Deric’s body. Deric had been placed in garbage bags which were wrapped with duct tape.”
According to the complaint, Winbush was found in the basement sitting on the ledge.
“Inside this same room, officers located a blood-soaked umbrella behind a piece of paneling that was leaning against a wall,” the complaint states.
Police later found blood droplets on the steps leading up to her second floor apartment. They also found blood on a sofa and on carpeting, as well as a near-empty roll of duct tape on a closet shelf.
In November, Davis allegedly told a friend he wanted to divorce Winbash because of what he described as her “crazy behavior,” the complaint states.
Winbush allegedly told police she got in an argument with Davis that “turned violent.”
“She said Deric physically assaulted her by striking her repeatedly and choking her,” according to the complaint. “She said at some point during the assault, Deric went to the kitchen and obtained a knife, then came at her with the knife. Winbush said that she was able to disarm Deric then stab him in self-defense.”
She told police that “she could not recall anything that happened after she stabbed Deric and claimed to have no idea how he got outside,” the complaint states. “Winbush described everything after the stabbing as ‘a blur.'”
It was not immediately clear if Winbush has retained an attorney. She has not yet entered pleas to the charges against her.
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