A Catholic-school teacher with a craving for crack stabbed a woman to death in a bloody struggle after she threatened to report his drug use to his supervisors, authorities said.
Matthew R. Dailey, a 30-year-old Latin teacher at the Christian Brothers Academy in Middletown, N.J., allegedly stabbed and sliced the throat of Linda Weed, 47, after they battled in her apartment in Ocean Grove.
Officials said Weed often bought the drugs for the pair’s monthly highs. For some reason, the duo’s crack session on Sunday led to an argument around 6:30 p.m. when Weed threatened to rat on her drug buddy.
At some point, Weed pulled out a knife, and the pair struggled for it, said Monmouth County prosecutor John Kaye.
Dailey overcame Weed and stabbed her several times, Kaye said. Neighbors who heard the fight called police, who found Dailey a few blocks away, his clothing covered in blood.
Weed’s body was found under a pile of pillows in her apartment. Among her wounds was a large knife slice across her throat.
The slaying shocked Dailey’s former students.
“He was a great teacher but an even greater person,” Angelo Petraglia, 18, told the Asbury Park Press. “I just can’t see him doing this. I can’t even see him doing drugs.”
Dailey faces murder charges and has been ordered held in lieu of $1 million bail.
With Post Wire Services