PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) — New details are emerging about the murder-suicide that has gripped the normally quiet community of Chestnut Hill. Friends identified the victim Friday as Wendy Feldman, owner of Spa Elysium and Fringe Salon.
“Wendy was outgoing. She would talk to you, she wasn’t afraid of anybody,” said friend John Houston. “She kept it, and a lot of people knew her.”
On Wednesday, just after 9 p.m., police were called by a man with a gun. When they arrived at the parking lot near Bethlehem Pike and Germantown Avenue, they say a A 59-year-old woman was shot in the head and died on the spot.
A 64-year-old man was also shot in the head. He was taken to the hospital, where he later died. Police said they believe the man shot the woman and that they were married but separated.
“You just walk up here and in a split second she’s gone,” Houston said. “It just doesn’t seem fair.”
Employees at Spa Elysium and Fringe Salon did not want to speak on camera, but said they were devastated to hear Feldman try to settle the divorce. Police believe that the cause of the shooting was domestic.
In a statement, Courtney O’Neill, executive director of the Chestnut Hill Business District, said, “Wendy Feldman epitomizes what is special about our small business community. She started in Chestnut Hill as a stylist, but through her energy and hard work, has built a successful business with Spa Elysium and Fringe Salon, became a property owner and a favorite employer.”
According to the 6abc Data Journalism team, there were 112 domestic violence incidents in Pennsylvania in 2021, with 26 in the five-county region.
Last week, the police believe a a man set fire to his girlfriend’s house in the town of Darby when she tried to break up with him. The woman’s sister died in the fire.
“It’s really, really important to have a safety plan in place if someone is in this situation,” said Joanna Otero-Cruz, executive director of Women Against Violence. “When a person wants to leave, that’s the most dangerous time, because often the criminal is trying to regain the control that he’s losing. And so when they do that, they can lash out in very explosive behavior.”
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence or abuse, help is available. Call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-888-799-SAFE. You can also talk to someone on their website, thehotline.org, or text “start” to 88788.
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