A Long Island man was indicted for allegedly stabbing of his mother-in-law to death in her Jamaica home and hiding her body in the basement, prosecutors announced Tuesday.
John Satchell, 43, of Hempstead, was arraigned on Oct. 8 on charges of second-degree murder, first- and second-degree burglary, concealment of a human corpse, tampering with physical evidence and endangering the welfare of a child. He was remanded to custody and ordered to return to court on Dec. 16.
If convicted, Satchell faces 25 years to life in prison.
“The defendant in this case is accused of viciously stabbing to death his long-time mother-in-law and then wrapping her body in some sort of clothe and attempted to hide the woman’s remains in her own basement,” said acting District Attorney John M. Ryan. “This was a heinous, unprovoked attack on a 66-year-old woman. This kind of violence is intolerable and the defendant now faces the possibility of being locked away for the rest of his days.”
According to charges, on Aug. 21, Satchell was allegedly in the home of 66-year-old Janice Matthews, his mother-in-law, who lived on 172nd Street in Jamaica. Sometime between Aug. 21 and Aug. 22, Satchell allegedly stabbed Matthews repeatedly with a sharp instrument.
Charges say that following the stabbing, Satchell allegedly rolled Matthews’ body into a blanket and dragged her to the basement, where the body would stay hidden. Satchell’s two children — who had been placed in the custody of Matthews — were allegedly in the home when Matthews was killed.
