In a shocking turn of events out of Pennsylvania, a man has been charged with criminal homicide following a grim attempt to disguise a close friend’s tragic end as a suicide. The accused, 34-year-old Chase Steigerwald, now sits in Clarion County Jail, facing serious allegations tied to the death of Rachel Roman, age 45, who was discovered lifeless in his apartment on November 5.

Details of the incident, as outlined in a criminal complaint sourced by local media Explore Jefferson PA, paint a chilling picture. On that fateful morning, Steigerwald was reportedly outside his residence with an unnamed woman when law enforcement arrived. He told the responding officers that he and his companion had gone for a walk, only to return and discover Roman’s body inside. However, his account would soon be starkly contradicted by his female acquaintance.

The unnamed woman provided investigators with a vastly different narrative. According to her statement, while she was in another part of the residence, she was startled by unsettling “gurgling” and “choking” sounds emanating from the living room. Upon investigating, she was confronted by a disturbing scene: Steigerwald hurriedly packing a backpack, with Roman lying on the floor, bleeding. The woman recounted that Steigerwald urged her to leave quickly, forcing her to navigate around a futon to avoid stepping into the pool of blood.

Further complicating Steigerwald’s story, police retrieved surveillance footage showing the pair exiting the premises at 5:05 a.m. and returning at 6:38 a.m. During their absence, Steigerwald allegedly confided in the woman, expressing his intention to stage Roman’s death to appear as a suicide. This damning revelation places Steigerwald in a precarious legal position as investigators piece together the tragic events that unfolded that night.

Police said surveillance cameras caught the pair leaving the home at 5:05 a.m. and coming back at 6:38 a.m. While the two were out, they walked around the neighborhood and Steigerwald allegedly told the woman that he was going to try to make Roman’s death “look like a suicide.”

After they got back to Steigerwald’s apartment, the woman told police that she witnessed him put a knife that was on the floor in Roman’s hand so he could get her fingerprints on it. She also allegedly saw him hide a bottle of methamphetamine in the couch where she had previously seen Roman sitting.

A witness who was at a party at Steigerwald’s apartment the night before said they saw Roman, alive and sitting on the couch, at around 11 p.m. Around the same time, another witness who was on a FaceTime call with Steigerwald said that she saw him brandishing the same kind of fixed-blade knife that was found near Roman’s body. The same witness said she heard Steigerwald arguing with Roman during the call.

Police said that Roman sent a text to a co-worker at 11:39 p.m. That co-worker’s reply, sent at 12:20 a.m., was not delivered, according to the criminal complaint, indicating that Roman’s phone appeared to have been powered off.

When police spoke to a neighbor, they said there was a loud party going on at Steigerwald’s home until about midnight, when the noise suddenly stopped and it became “very quiet.”

When police questioned Steigerwald, he explained that the knife they found was his, and he used it for hunting. He allegedly admitted to smoking molly before calling 911 on the morning of Nov. 5.

Investigators said they found blood in several locations inside the home, including the kitchen sink, the bathroom sink, and on a bottle of Dawn dishwashing soap. They also reportedly found the methamphetamine.

An autopsy conducted on Roman’s body stated that she sustained stab wounds to her face, chest, arm, and hand. Her cause of death was a fatal stab wound to the neck.

Steigerwald was arrested on a drug charge a few days after Roman’s body was found. After he was charged with criminal homicide on Tuesday, the drug charge was dropped. He remains in custody without bond at Clarion County Jail. His next court date is scheduled for Dec. 2.