Inset left: Michael Dutkiewicz (Montgomery County District Attorney”s Office). Inset right: Alyssa Wiest (Williams-Bergey-Koffel Funeral Home). Background: The 200 block of Moorehead Avenue in West Conshohocken, Pennsylvania (Google Maps).
A man is on trial in Pennsylvania for allegedly killing his ex-girlfriend mere minutes after she broke up with him, using that time to research how to shoot a gun, authorities say.
Michael Dutkiewicz, 26, stands charged with first-degree murder, third-degree murder and possessing an instrument of crime in the death of 25-year-old Alyssa Wiest. The alleged crime occurred in May, but as the Montgomery County courtroom filled up this week and prosecutors presented their case, more details into the harrowing incident came to light.
Dutkiewicz and Wiest had been dating for two years when, on the night of May 17, they were out at a bar drinking, prosecutors said, per Philadelphia-based Fox affiliate WTXF. At some point, they returned home — and Wiest delivered some news that would prove shocking to Dutkiewicz.
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She was breaking up with him. According to Wiest’s older sister, she had been mulling over whether to do so since March, but decided to think things over and make a decision once they concluded a trip for which the Dutkiewicz family was paying, the local outlet reported.
The defendant, who no longer had a girlfriend, took to the internet seeking answers — specifically about how to load and shoot a revolver, prosecutors say. As the clock passed midnight, he allegedly put his newly found knowledge into practice.
West Conshohocken police officers reported being called to a residence on the 200 block of Moorehead Avenue at about 12:25 a.m. on May 18. When they arrived, they found “a female, later identified as Alyssa Wiest, face down on the sidewalk, with obvious gunshot wounds to her torso,” the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office said.
She was brought to a nearby hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Dutkiewicz is alleged to have shot and killed her just 25 minutes or so after she broke up with him — using the victim’s own personal revolver, prosecutors say.
Detectives launched a homicide investigation, and prosecutors said they found several pieces of evidence. For one, the door to Wiest’s home, “a few doors from where she was found, was ajar, and there was blood found both inside her residence and along the sidewalk leading to her body.” Five “projectiles” were also recovered, both inside the home and outside by her body.
In court this week, neighbors reportedly described the gunshots and Wiest’s screams as she ran down the sidewalk in an apparent attempt to get away from her attacker.
Investigators said that “immediately after the shooting, a neighbor saw Dutkiewicz standing by his silver Ford F-150 truck” — and then the truck left the area. License plate readers confirmed that a truck belonging to Dutkiewicz was driving from West Conshohocken and through Conshohocken at 12:25 a.m. that night, authorities said.
A warrant was later issued for his arrest, and he turned himself in. He was placed in the Montgomery County Correctional Facility.
Dutkiewicz’s defense team is not disputing who committed the killing, but rather arguing that the attack was caused by a sudden emotional moment and not premeditated, according to WTXF. Video evidence is expected as the trial continues, and a jury could deliberate as soon as Thursday.
Wiest’s obituary describes her as “our beloved shining star—radiant, vibrant, and full of light. Her presence lit up every room she entered, and her absence leaves a deep ache in the hearts of all who knew and loved her.”
