The Bucks County case ended more than two years after a fatal attack outside a Lower Makefield Township home.

DOYLESTOWN, Pa. — Trevor Christopher Weigel was sentenced April 28 to life in prison without parole for killing 19-year-old Jaden Battista after she fled toward a responding police officer in Lower Makefield Township.

The sentence closed a case that began Feb. 16, 2024, when police were sent to a burglary call on Waterford Road and arrived as the violence was unfolding. Weigel, 25, of Churchville, had been convicted in January of first-degree murder, burglary, attempted kidnapping and possession of an instrument of crime. Judge Charissa J. Liller added another five to 20 years in state prison.

The final hearing at the Bucks County Justice Center centered on punishment, but it also returned the courtroom to the minutes before Battista died. Prosecutors said Weigel left his job at a manufacturing plant in Warminster and drove about 30 minutes to the home where Battista was staying. During the drive, he left voicemails demanding to know why she had blocked his number and social media accounts. Deputy District Attorney Alan J. Garabedian told jurors during trial that the killing followed a brief relationship that Battista had ended. “If he couldn’t have her, nobody was going to have her,” Garabedian said.

Battista was on FaceTime with her best friend when Weigel arrived, authorities said. He banged on the door, forced his way through a first-floor bedroom window and confronted her inside. Prosecutors said Battista was barefoot and wearing Care Bear pajamas when Weigel forced her outside toward his red Mustang. Police had been dispatched after a report of a burglary in progress. As an officer arrived, Battista broke free and ran toward the officer for safety. Authorities said Weigel chased her, tackled her in the street and stabbed her 14 times. Body camera video captured her pleas for help and the work of first responders after the attack.

The officer who first reached the scene moved toward Battista as Weigel fled, investigators said. Other officers pursued him after he climbed a fence and ran toward an interstate. Police said Weigel stabbed himself in the neck during the flight before officers used a Taser and took him into custody. A bloody knife was recovered at the scene. Weigel received medical care while in custody and later recovered from his injuries. Battista did not survive despite emergency aid. Officials have not described any dispute over who carried out the stabbing. The central question at trial became whether the killing was first-degree murder or a lesser offense.

Defense attorneys argued that Weigel had snapped after Battista allegedly told him she had cheated on him. Prosecutors countered that the evidence showed planning and mounting anger before Weigel ever reached the house. They pointed to the voicemails, the drive from Warminster to Lower Makefield Township, the forced entry through the window and the attempt to move Battista toward the Mustang. Jurors deliberated for just over an hour before convicting him Jan. 16 of first-degree murder and several related charges. Liller also found him guilty of a summary harassment count. Under Pennsylvania law, the first-degree murder conviction carried a mandatory life sentence without parole.

The sentencing hearing gave Battista’s family and friends their first chance to address the court after the verdict. Her mother read two statements, one for herself and one written by Battista’s father. She described her daughter as kind and gentle, and said the loss had changed daily life for the family. “Jaden was a gentle soul in a world that was far too cruel to her,” her mother read in court. She also spoke about Battista’s two younger sisters, who will grow up without their older sister’s guidance, and about the silence left in the family home.

Garabedian read a statement from Battista’s best friend, who had been on the FaceTime call when Weigel entered the home and who called 911. The friend described the lasting trauma of hearing the attack and losing someone she called a bright soul. District Attorney Joe Khan said the sentence gave legal finality but could not restore what was taken. “Trevor Weigel stole a future full of dreams and love,” Khan said after the hearing. “Today, the justice system ensured he will never have the opportunity to take another life.” Lower Makefield Police Chief Joseph Kelly said his department’s thoughts remained with the Battista family.

The case was investigated by Lower Makefield Township police and Bucks County detectives. Garabedian and Assistant District Attorney Jessica Frost prosecuted the case. Court records and county statements identify the conviction and sentence as the end of the main criminal case, though routine post-sentence filings may follow in the trial court. No parole hearing will be available because of the life-without-parole sentence. The additional five-to-20-year term followed the murder sentence and reflected the other charges tied to the forced entry and attempted kidnapping.

Battista was remembered by relatives as a young woman who loved animals, including her dog, Tater, and her black cat, Socks. The details brought a quieter focus to a case defined in court by body camera video, phone evidence and the sudden violence on Waterford Road. Her mother said the home now carries an emptiness that cannot be filled. The friend who was on the phone with Battista said the loss had left a hole that could not truly close.

Weigel remains sentenced to life in prison without parole, plus five to 20 years. The case now stands at the post-sentencing stage after the April 28 hearing in Doylestown.

Author note: Last updated May 21, 2026.