SCRANTON, Pa. — The husband of a homicide victim found dead in her home Monday night has now been charged with her murder.
Police believe Thomas Evans, 36, shot and stabbed his wife Tara Evans, 37, inside her home on North Sumner Avenue in Scranton some time Sunday.
Her 14-year-old son found the body on Monday, wrapped in plastic and stuffed in a trunk inside the home, according to arrest papers.
Neighbors and the victim's mother said the two would often argue and her mother said there were previous physical assaults.
Tara Evans told her mother that she was moving out and feared for her safety.
Lackawanna County District Attorney Mark Powell believes that Evans killed his wife out of rage and jealousy.
"This case was a brutal attack that will have long-lasting effects on the community and everlasting effects on her children, family, friends, co-workers," Powell said.
There is now a small memorial growing on the steps of the house in Scranton.
People who live in the area near the Evans' home say this event has shocked the neighborhood and they are heartbroken for the family.
A woman who lives a few blocks away wanted to say a prayer outside the house for the family.
"Her son that found her, my heart goes out to him. He will be in my prayers. That's a heavy thing to carry."
Virgil Argenta lives a few houses away. His son plays football with Tara's son. they had just seen him at practice earlier in the day.
"A terrible, terrible discovery. It's really upsetting," Argenta said. Our heart breaks for the children who we've come to know."
Evans turned himself in on Tuesday at Scranton Police Department headquarters after returning from a construction job in Connecticut.
He was initially charged with theft of a firearm from the home in Scranton.
While in custody, police say Evans assaulted another inmate in the Lackawanna County Prison.
Evans is now charged with criminal homicide and related offenses.