Pa. Man Allegedly Murdered Woman Who Declined Proposal

A 34-year-old man has been arrested in Illinois on murder charges out of Pennsylvania, where he is accused of snapping the neck of a woman who did not accept his marriage proposal, PEOPLE confirms.

Christopher Tucker, of Albany Township in Pennsylvania, has been charged with murder and criminal homicide for allegedly killing Tara Serino, 19, on Halloween night.

Authorities describe the two as friends, according to court documents obtained by PEOPLE — but police believe that didn’t stop Tucker from popping the question last month inside his home.

When Serino declined, Tucker allegedly lost it, grabbing the young woman by the neck and strangling her until her spine popped. Court papers further claim that Tucker poked the woman’s eyes out and used a hatchet to then pummel her body.

He is also accused of using a 25-lb. weight plate in the brutal slaying.

Once he believed her to be dead, Tucker allegedly wrapped Serino in a rug and fled to Illinois, where he was picked up by officers from the Urbana Police Department.

Under interrogation, Tucker allegedly told Urbana investigators that after rejecting his proposal, Serino told him she was sleeping with other men and said that he should just kill her, court records show.

Tucker’s alleged account of the killing was consistent with Serino’s injuries, the court documents state.

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In addition to homicide and murder, Tucker also faces two counts each of aggravated assault and possession of an instrument of crime.

He remains in the custody of the Champaign County Sheriff’s Office in Illinois. He will soon be extradited to Pennsylvania where he will face a judge.

It was unclear Wednesday if Tucker has a legal representative who could comment on his behalf. He has not entered a plea.

Efforts to reach Serino’s family were unsuccessful.

The Allentown Morning Call reports that Tucker was arrested for allegedly driving drunk just days before the killing after being pulled over for speeding in Pennsylvania’s Indiana County.

According to the paper, he was also charged with several traffic offenses and for allegedly possessing both marijuana and another controlled substance. He was released from jail the next day, after posting bail.

The disposition of those charges was not immediately clear.

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