Inset: Diane Grovola (Upper Darby Police Department). Background: The house where Grovola allegedly stabbed her daughter to death in Upper Darby Township, Pa. (Google Maps).
A woman from Pennsylvania has been jailed following the murder of her adult daughter and an attack on the family’s dog, according to law enforcement officials in the state.
Diane Grovola, aged 57, faces charges including first-degree murder, third-degree murder, criminal homicide, possession of a weapon used in a crime, and aggravated cruelty to animals, per the Upper Darby Police Department’s report.
This tragic event unfolded in the early hours of Tuesday morning at a residence located on South Bishop Avenue in the unincorporated Secane area of Delaware County, part of the Philadelphia metropolitan area.
According to a criminal complaint obtained by the Delaware County Daily Times, the victim’s father and Grovola’s husband returned home at 6:38 a.m. after working a night shift, only to discover a grim scene.
Law enforcement officers arriving at the scene were informed that Grovola was still armed with a knife. Inside the home, police reportedly found her naked, smeared with blood, and having minor, self-inflicted cuts. Despite being ordered to comply, she allegedly resisted, leading officers to restrain her with wrist cuffs.
After being subdued, Grovola allegedly expressed remorse, saying, “Sorry, I should have stabbed myself first.”
Meanwhile, EMS personnel focused on Daniele Grovola, 23, who was suffering from multiple lacerations to her face, chest, legs, and back, according to law enforcement. Paramedics exhausted all lifesaving methods before pronouncing the victim dead at the scene at 7:07 a.m.
Later, detectives ran through the order of known events with the distraught father and husband.
The man said he left his job at the UPS facility at Philadelphia International Airport between 5 and 5:30 a.m., stopping to pick up breakfast for his family at McDonald’s before reaching the residence – a timeline confirmed by license plate readers, police said.
As the man walked through the front door, he was greeted by the dog, bent down to pet the dog, and got blood on his clothes, police said.
Then the man noticed his wife, according to the charging document. She was allegedly sitting on a couch in the living room, holding a knife.
The man recalled what his wife said next.
“I stabbed our daughter,” the wife allegedly said.
The defendant also mentioned she hurt the family’s dog, according to law enforcement. The dog was found to have cuts on its abdomen.
After that, the man went to his daughter’s bedroom, according to the charging document. There, he found her – lying on her back with eyes agape. The father repeatedly called out to his daughter without response, then returned to the living room and dialed 911.
During the emergency call, the man said his wife expressed a desire to die and began stabbing herself in the chest with the knife, according to the complaint. Meanwhile, the 911 dispatcher told the man to flee – which he did. As he left, the man recalled seeing his wife fling the knife toward the television. After that, the man said his wife took off her clothes, and he could hear her breaking items in the kitchen.
Soon after, police arrived. During the eventual execution of a search warrant, investigators recovered a large stainless steel kitchen knife with a black handle from the living room wall. The knife was covered in what appeared to be blood, according to the charging document.
The family’s dog survived the attack and was taken to a nearby veterinarian, where it was treated for its injuries, police said.
The defendant was arraigned this week and is currently being detained in the George W. Hill Correctional Facility without bail.
Grovola is next slated to appear in court on Jan. 6.
