UPDATE: Del. suspect arrested for murder of wife and mother-in-law

A Delaware man was arrested Sunday morning for the alleged killing of his wife and mother-in-law, according to police.

Gilbert Rochester, 66, was arrested after police say they responded to a reported stabbing near a Hawkey Branch Road home just before 8 a.m.

An initial investigation has found that Rochester had allegedly parked his car about one mile east of the residence in a field entrance off Hawkey Branch Road and then walked to the house where he waited outside. Police say between 7:20 a.m. and 7:30 a.m., 80-year-old Louise Cavuto Carrow, identified as Rochester’s mother-in-law, exited her home and began walking to a detached garage in order to leave for church. Authorities say Rochester assaulted Carrow causing her death.

Police say Rochester’s wife, 56-year-old Mary Lane, also exited the home shortly after and began walking to the garage. Police say Lane and Rochester were in the process of a divorce.

According to Corporal Gary Fournier of the Delaware State Police, Lane was attacked and stabbed to death by Rochester before he fled the scene on foot. 

Nearby neighbors reportedly heard screams coming from the area of the home and witnessed the Lane’s attack while calling 911.

When police arrived on the scene, they reportedly found Rochester hiding in some nearby woods on the property. 

According to police, Rochester still had a knife in his possession and refused to drop it. Police say they temporarily incapacitated Rochester by using a taser.

Rochester was treated and released from an area hospital before he was formally charged with two counts of First Degree Murder and two counts of Possession of a Deadly Weapon During the Commission of a Felony.

He is being held without bail at James T. Vaughn Correctional Center.

Carrow and Lane were removed from the scene by the Delaware Division of Forensic Science who will conduct an autopsy to determine the exact cause and manner of their death.