Prosecutors reveal suspected motive for St. Clair mother’s murder
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Westmoreland County prosecutors contend a long simmering period of discord between a New Florence woman and her mother provided a motive for her killing in late 2023.
According to a court filing, investigators believe the Dec. 11, 2023, fatal shooting of 71-year-old Alice Robson was the culmination of years of threats and violence at the hands of her daughter, who is now in jail awaiting trial for her killing.
Melissa Fox-Beacom, 50, was charged with criminal homicide and other offenses in connection with Robson’s death. Police said Robson was shot twice in the head, and her body was buried under a porch at her St. Clair home. Fox-Beacom instigated the murder and according to police enlisted two 18-year-old men, including her daughter’s boyfriend, to fire the fatal shots, investigators claim.
Fox-Beacom, along with Matthew Bates of Ligonier Township and Robert Jack of Washington, both now 19, appeared in court Thursday for a pretrial hearing. Their cases have yet to be scheduled for trial. Lawyers for Fox-Beacom and Jack said they are awaiting psychological evaluations of their clients to determine if they can be held criminally liable for Robson’s shooting.
Police said Bates and Jack accused each other of firing the shots that killed Robson as she sat in a chair nearby where her grandson slept.
Authorities have suggested the killing was the culmination of an ongoing dispute that involved the custody of a grandson whose medical concerns required 24-hour supervision. According to court records, Robson and her husband had custody of the child since 2019.
“The commonwealth submits that substantial evidence exists demonstrating that defendant Melissa Fox-Beacom had a volatile and abusive relationship with her mother … and engaged in violence and threats of violence towards her,” according to the court filing.
According to prosecutors, the discord between Fox-Beacom and Robson dates back to at least 2017, when Robson sought a protection from abuse order against her daughter. Court records indicate a county judge issued such an order that year after Robson testified she was afraid of her daughter after being subjected to physical and verbal abuse.
Following a contempt of court hearing at the courthouse in 2019, prosecutors said police witnesses overheard Fox-Beacom tell her mother, “I’m gonna kill you one day, you (expletive).”
After serving a jail sentence for criminal contempt in 2019, prosecutors claim Fox-Beacom came to her mother’s home and again made threats that caused Robson to fear for her safety. Fox-Beacom was charged with multiple crimes related to the 2019 incident and was eventually convicted of simple assault, according to court records.
Fox-Beacom sought a protection from abuse order against her mother in 2023, but that request was rejected by a judge, according to the court filing.
“Defendant’s history of domestic violence towards Robson evidences her motive, intent, absence of mistake or accident and planning and design regarding her dislike and even hatred of Robson,” prosecutors wrote.
Defense attorney Tim Dawson said the evidence prosecutors want to introduce at trial violates Fox-Beacom’s right to a fair trial.
“She did not fire the gun in the case and is unjustifiably charged. We will formally respond to this motion and vigorously argue against the admission of this extremely prejudicial and damaging evidence,” Dawson said.