Woman fatally stabbed during Facebook Marketplace fridge sale: ‘She did put up one heck of a fight’

A Pennsylvania woman who wanted to buy a dormitory-style refrigerator off Facebook Marketplace instead ended up dead, authorities said.

On April 6, Denise Williams, 54, headed to the Geistown apartment of 26-year-old Joshua Gorgone after she found the appliance online, officials said at a news conference and streamed by local media.  

According to charging documents, Gorgone allegedly admitted to arguing with Williams over the price of the refrigerator and stabbing her with a kitchen knife, Johnstown’s WJAC-TV reported.

“She went there to look at the fridge and never came out, unfortunately,” Cambria County District Attorney Greg Neugebauer said.

Investigators found the victim in Gorgone’s apartment after tracking her cell phone and gathering information from Facebook. 

An autopsy determined Williams died as a result of massive blood loss after she was stabbed multiple times. The victim also suffered defensive wounds, indicating there was a struggle. 

“She did put up one heck of a fight,” Cambria County Coroner Jeff Lees said. “This was a violent death that she sustained.”

At the press conference, Neugebauer reminded people to use caution when meeting up with strangers on the internet. 

“Don’t go alone. Don’t invite someone to your house alone to look at something. Always have someone with you or, if possible, meet in a public or well-lit place,” he advised.

Gorgone is being held without bail at the Cambria County Prison. He is due in court for a preliminary hearing on April 14.