Inset: Xiaomin Fei (Northampton County DA’s Office). Background: The home where he allegedly killed his in-laws (WCAU).
In Pennsylvania, a 34-year-old man has been detained for allegedly murdering his in-laws in their 70s, firing at the elderly couple just mere hours after receiving divorce papers from their daughter and being locked out of his residence.
Xiaomin Fei was apprehended on Tuesday, facing charges including two counts each of criminal homicide, reckless endangerment, and possession of an instrument of crime, alongside a burglary count concerning the deaths of Robert and Gretchen Ackerman, authorities have revealed.
Fei’s wife and two children were in the home at the time of the alleged murders but were not harmed.
As reported in a news release from the Northampton County District Attorney’s Office, officers from the Palmer Township Police Department responded around 7 p.m. on June 3, 2025, to a Glasgow Way residence after receiving a report of an ongoing domestic disturbance. The residence is situated in an age-restricted community designated for people aged 55 and above.
Upon arriving, first responders said they found the front door of the residence wide open and a male, later identified as Fei, “standing there holding a hand gun.” After disregarding several verbal commands, authorities said Fei complied with commands to put the handgun down. He was promptly taken into custody without further incident.
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As Officers entered to clear the residence, they located two adults on the main floor, both of whom appeared to be suffering from gunshot wounds. The male, later identified as Robert Ackerman, was pronounced dead on the scene, while the female, later identified as Gretchen Ackerman, died en route to a local hospital.
Police then located two unharmed small children, both under the age of five, in a different room of the home. Fei was taken into custody and transported to the Palmer Township Police Department for processing.
Court documents obtained by The Morning Call provided additional details about the circumstances of the alleged murder.
According to the report, during the 911 call, the dispatcher could hear people screaming, children crying, and what sounded like two men in a verbal dispute. One of the men, presumably Robert Ackerman, could reportedly be heard yelling, “Think about what you’re doing.” The other man, presumably Fei, responded, “I’m not thinking.”
Fei’s wife reportedly placed a second 911 call, telling the dispatcher that her husband was at the home and trying to kill her and their kids.
In an interview with police, Fei reportedly said he was angry with his wife because she had served him with divorce papers earlier that morning.
Fei told police he grew more upset because, later that day, his wife, her parents, and their two children were inside his home, but refused to let him in. He claimed his in-laws had “locked him out” and “kept his children away from him,” Philadelphia NBC affiliate WCAU reported.
Further upset about being locked out, Fei reportedly went out and bought a handgun that day, purchasing the murder weapon just hours before he allegedly executed both of his in-laws.
After buying the gun, police said Fei returned to the home, broke a window pane on the front door with a hammer, then went inside and opened fire, shooting both Robert and Gretchen Ackerman in the head. He allegedly admitted that he saw his wife and two children before shooting his in-laws.
Fei is currently being held in Northampton County Prison without bond. He is scheduled to appear in court again on June 18.
