Pennsylvania murder suspect allegedly stashed his girlfriend’s body in suitcase he hid in tool shed, police say

A Pennsylvania man is accused of slaying his girlfriend and then hiding the body in a tool shed on the property where they both lived, police said.

On Jan. 8 around 4:30 p.m., a homeowner called Pittsburgh authorities about finding the corpse of a woman, WPXI reported.

According to a criminal complaint obtained by the station, the victim, identified as 28-year-old Crystal Leschner, was wrapped in plastic and stuffed inside a suitcase.

Leschner, the complaint states, was residing in a converted apartment above a detached garage at the location where her body was found.

Leschner’s boyfriend, Montel Reed, 26, was living in the home’s basement and allegedly admitted to getting into a fight with Leschner in her living space and fatally stabbing her in the neck on Dec. 27, police wrote in the complaint.

Reed allegedly first hid Leschner’s bloody body in a wall storage area in her apartment, where it was still located on Jan. 1 when police responded to a report of a stabbing involving the suspect and another man. Officers reportedly didn't find the body at the time.

On Jan. 5, Reed was released from the hospital where he was being treated for injuries sustained in the stabbing involving the man. He allegedly told police he then transferred Leschner's corpse from the storage area to the shed and then turned himself in at the Allegheny County jail for an outstanding warrant issued related to that Jan. 1 stabbing incident.

Investigators learned the suspect was arrested four times last year in connection to alleged domestic violence incidents involving Leschner, WPXI reported. Just over a week before the murder, the complaint states, Reed was released from jail after spending 10 days in custody for an alleged assault on his girlfriend.

Reed faces charges of homicide, tampering with evidence, and abuse of a corpse, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.