Suvechha Sarkar
The tight-knit community of Perkiomen Township, Pennsylvania, became the center of a devastating tragedy when 54-year-old Annette Ellen House was found dead in a bedroom of her residence. The case is revisited in the episode titled ‘Judging Reactions’ on Investigation Discovery’s ‘911: Did the Killer Call?’ It also features details about the investigation that helped authorities learn that the killer was one of her closest people. Through in-depth interviews with officials who worked on the case, the episode also sheds light on the evidence that linked the killer to the murder.
Annette House Died From Multiple Stab Wounds at Her Pennsylvania Home
On September 4, 1962, Annette Ellen House entered the lives of Milton and Ruth House as a ray of sunshine. She was born in a lively household in Fargo, North Dakota, where she was bestowed with immense love and support. She grew up side by side with her brothers, Keith and Steven, and sister, Kathleen, as the family moved across several states over the years. Annette’s loved ones often described her as a kind and vibrant individual who loved making friends, traveling, and listening to music. She had always been an excellent student, which led her to graduate from Sumter High School in South Carolina as a valedictorian in the class of 1980. Annette’s drive helped her earn a degree in Textile Chemistry from Clemson University.
At the time, Annette received a Fulbright Scholarship, paving the path for her to study in Berlin, Germany, for a year. She further completed a Master’s degree in International Business at the University of South Carolina, laying the foundation of her career. She ultimately joined the workforce as a talented Marketing Strategist at Merck. She then went on to gain more skills in the pharmaceutical sector, before becoming a Director of Commercial Development at Pfizer Global Innovative Products. While pursuing her Master’s degree, she crossed paths with Andrew P. Hay. Once their connection grew deeper, they finally tied the knot at a beautiful venue. In the next few years, they welcomed their son, Jorden, and daughter, Elena.
Sadly, cracks appeared in Annette and Andrew’s relationship, leading to their divorce. By 2017, she was living in a residence on the 400 block of Abbey Lane in Perkiomen Township, Pennsylvania. Around 3 am on July 21, 2017, Elena called 911, reporting that Annette had been stabbed. When officials arrived, they found the 54-year-old in a second-floor bedroom with a wooden-handled kitchen knife lodged in her chest. She was pronounced dead at the scene, but they were unable to find any signs of forced entry or burglary. They also found blood smears and a broken window with a gardening glove stuck in it near the front door. The autopsy revealed that Annette had defensive wounds on her hands. Her cause of death was determined to be multiple stab wounds, including the fatal injury to her chest.
The Killer’s Confession and Inconsistent Accounts Brought the Truth to Light
After officials discovered Annette’s remains on July 21, 2017, they first questioned Elena. Police records state that Elena claimed that she was asleep that fateful night when she heard her mother screaming. In her statements, she further claimed that she had seen a man wearing a gray sweatshirt leaving the home. According to court records, one of the law enforcement officers interviewing Elena observed what appeared to be blood on her clothing around the area of her left hand, chest, and thigh. She reportedly also had a laceration on her left hand, and it was wrapped with a blood-soaked bandage.
When investigators asked Elena about her hand injury, she claimed that she had tried to help Annette, who had grabbed her hand. The arrest affidavit states that Elena was interviewed multiple times, during which she gave conflicting statements to the detectives regarding what had happened before Annette was brutally stabbed. When digital forensic experts checked her cellphone records, they discovered text messages that Elena had sent to one of her friends. In those text messages, she wrote about her ongoing conflict with the 54-year-old, with one of the texts reading, “Haha, I hate my family.”
As the fateful day went on, Elena confessed to the authorities that just hours before the murder, she had a major argument with her mother, involving Elena’s mental health treatment, as per reports. In her statements during the police interrogation, Elena admitted to taking a glove for her right hand and grabbing a kitchen knife before entering Annette’s bedroom and stabbing her. She further confessed to attempting to break the house’s front door window. Ultimately, on July 21, 2017, Elena was taken into custody and charged with first-degree murder, third-degree murder, possession of instruments of a crime, and voluntary manslaughter.
Elena House-Hay is Incarcerated at a Pennsylvania Prison Today
Elena was arraigned on July 21, 2017, and her preliminary hearing date was scheduled for July 31. Following that, Elena was held in the Montgomery County Prison in Eagleville, Pennsylvania. Her jury trial was set to begin on January 29, 2018. The prosecution had built a strong case, based on the defendant’s confession that she had stabbed Annette after an argument over Elena’s mental health treatment. On the other hand, her defense team had filed a notice indicating that they wanted to pursue a mental-infirmity defense. Elena eventually avoided a jury trial when she pleaded guilty but mentally ill to third-degree murder on January 24, 2018.
As a part of the guilty plea agreement, the prosecution dropped the first-degree murder charge against her. She was subsequently sentenced to 20 to 40 years in prison. The guilty-but-mentally-ill plea meant that, although the court acknowledged her mental illness at the time of the commission of murder, she remained criminally responsible for the murder. It is essential to note that the available records do not indicate that Elena was transferred to an institution for her mental health treatment following her conviction. As of writing, Elena is serving her sentence at the State Correctional Institution (SCI) Muncy in Lycoming County, Pennsylvania.
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