Pennsylvania man killed 2 mothers of his children in same home 25 days apart, police say

CARLISLE, Penn. — A Pennsylvania man is accused of killing the two mothers of his children, one because he believed she was cheating on him and the other because he thought she could finger him in the slaying of the first, police officials said.

Davone Unique Anderson, 25, of Carlisle, is charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of Sydney Parmelee and Kaylee Lyons. According to a criminal complaint obtained by PennLive, both women were shot in the head.

Parmelee was killed July 5. Lyons, who was six weeks pregnant when she died, was killed July 30. Both crimes took place at Lyons’ home at 137 E. Louther St. in Carlisle.

The women, both 23, had been classmates at Carlisle High School, from which they graduated in 2014, PennLive reported. According to her Facebook page, Parmelee, who gave birth to a baby boy in March, was a nursing student at Harrisburg Area Community College.

Her obituary shows she and Anderson also had a daughter together. Lyons and Anderson had a toddler son, according to Lyons’ death notice.

Lyons also attended the community college and, according to her family, had “found her calling” when she started working at North Dickinson Elementary School in Carlisle.

During a news conference on Monday, Carlisle police Chief Taro Landis displayed, front and center, a photo of both victims. He offered their families his condolences on the loss of the women, seen smiling brightly in the photo, which appeared to be a selfie they took together.

Landis urged the public to remember what the situation is truly about.

“It’s about these two young ladies,” Landis said, sweeping his arm toward the photo. “This is what this is about. Ms. Parmelee and Ms. Lyons.”

The criminal complaint alleges that a jailed Anderson on July 31 “made an excited utterance to a correction officer that he ‘killed them both.’”

Detectives who went to the jail to question him allege he made more “excited utterances of ‘I killed Sydney’ and ‘I killed Kaylee, too,’” the document states.

Anderson is being held at the Cumberland County Prison without bail.

Along with the two women, Anderson is charged with killing Lyons’ unborn child, two counts of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and two counts of endangering the welfare of a child. The child in question, a 14-month-old boy, was left “in the proximity of where a firearm was discharged” and subsequently left unattended, the complaint shows.

Anderson’s prior felony conviction was for drugs in 2017, PennLive reported.

The defendant is also charged with receiving stolen property. According to detectives, the handgun he is accused of using to kill Parmelee had been reported stolen in Boiling Springs.

Carlisle police officials said in a news conference Monday afternoon that officers responded to Lyons’ home the afternoon of July 5 on a report of an alleged suicide. When they arrived, they found Parmelee lying dead on the couch, a gunshot wound to her head.

A handgun was nearby, as was a shell casing.

According to the criminal complaint, Anderson told officers he and Parmelee, who had two children together, were going through a separation. He claimed that Parmelee had followed him to Lyons’ home, where they got into an argument.

Lyons was at work and Anderson had their 14-month-old son with him at the home.

In a calm and “monotone manner,” Anderson told investigators he had left his and Lyons’ baby inside the home with Parmelee while he went out back to smoke a cigarette, the complaint states.

“Anderson stated that while he was out back, he heard a gunshot,” the document says. “Anderson stated that when he went back inside the residence, he saw Parmelee’s body and grabbed his son, who had been seated next to Parmelee on the couch, before departing the scene.”

He told detectives he ran to his mother’s house and asked her to call 911. He denied touching either Parmelee’s body or the gun.

Detectives soon suspected that Parmelee had not killed herself, however.

Watch Monday’s news conference below.

“There were conflicting statements made by Anderson to responding officers, Detective (Thomas) Dolan and Kimberly Gianforti with Children and Youth Services,” the complaint states. “Additionally, Parmelee’s newly purchased cellphone and wallet were both missing from the scene.”

Investigators obtained Parmelee’s cellphone data, which showed no indications that she was suicidal.

“Lastly, there was no stippling, barrel marks or powder burns found in the area of the gunshot wound to Parmelee’s head during the autopsy that would be consistent with suicide,” the document says.

The investigation into the young woman’s alleged suicide continued but took a dramatic turn 25 days after her death.

Shortly after 9 p.m. on July 30, officers were again called to Lyons’ home, this time for a report of cardiac arrest. Responding officers found the mortally wounded Lyons lying on the floor.

Like Parmelee before her, Lyons had a gunshot wound to the head and her cellphone was missing. She was rushed to Hershey Medical Center, where she died the following day, Sean McCormack, chief deputy district attorney for Cumberland County, said Monday.

The two witnesses who discovered Lyons on the floor told authorities Anderson had gone to them and told them to go and get his and Lyons’ son from Lyons’ home. Though the document made public by PennLive redacted the witnesses’ names, the news site identified them as Anderson’s mother and another woman.

“Anderson then departed without explaining what had occurred,” the criminal complaint states.

Read the entire criminal complaint below, courtesy of PennLive.

When the witnesses arrived at the crime scene, they found the 14-month-old boy alone with his dying mother. According to the complaint, investigators later found Lyons’ cellphone near the home where Anderson found the witnesses earlier in the evening.

From there, authorities say Anderson went to a home in Harrisburg, where he got a change of clothes and a bottle of bleach, which he took into a bathroom.

“Police were also advised by the witness that Anderson had a firearm in his possession, he asked for ammunition, and that Anderson wrapped the firearm in a cloth while at that residence,” the complaint states.

The witness said Anderson also asked questions about being tracked and said he did not want anyone to know where he was. His cellphone later turned up missing and detectives were unable to find it.

When he was taken into custody July 30 in Carlisle, Anderson was driving Lyons’ black 2017 Honda Civic. McCormack, the prosecutor, said Monday that Lyons’ car had been reported stolen following her fatal shooting.

When questioned the next day by detectives, Anderson allegedly confessed to killing Parmelee with the stolen handgun from Boiling Springs because he thought she was unfaithful.

“Anderson confessed to killing Kaylee Lyons with the yet to be recovered firearm due to his belief that Kaylee Lyons may have been setting Anderson up or planning to turn him in to police for Sydney Parmelee’s murder,” the complaint states.

He killed Lyons with her own handgun, investigators said.

Cox Media Group