ALFRED — The Acton woman accused of stabbing her ex-husband to death in front of their children pleaded not guilty to a murder charge Thursday in York County Superior Court.
Kandee Weyland, 46, was arrested Feb. 22 after allegedly killing Scott Weyland, who had been awarded primary custody of their two young children following their divorce.
During an arraignment Thursday afternoon, attorney Molly Butler Bailey entered a not guilty plea on two charges on behalf of Kandee Weyland. Weyland did not speak during the short hearing.
A York County grand jury handed up a two-count indictment against Weyland in early April. She was indicted on charges of intentional or knowing murder and violation of a protection from abuse order. Both Weylands had filed protection orders against each other.
During the hearing before Judge Wayne Douglas, prosecutor Lisa Marchese from the Attorney General’s Office requested the release of what had been a sealed affidavit, with the names and birth dates of the Weyland children redacted.
Police allege that Kandee Weyland stabbed Scott Weyland Feb. 22 outside his mother’s house after learning that a district court judge in Sanford had awarded primary custody of the couple’s two children to Scott.
Kandee Weyland received a copy of the divorce judgment on Feb. 17. Court records show she was under a doctor’s care for symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder and recurrent depression, as well as anxiety and panic attacks, which made it difficult for her to leave her house. A Department of Health and Human Services investigator had found that the house she had shared with her ex-husband was uninhabitable because of clutter and mess and that Kandee Weyland had not yet found another place to live, according to court records.
On Feb. 22, Kandee Weyland told her mother, Linda Griffin, that she wanted her ex-husband dead, according to the affidavit prepared by State Police Detective Corey Pike and released Thursday.
She drove to Scott Weyland’s mother’s home on Milton Mills Road in Acton later that day with her two children in the car and crashed into the back of a pickup truck in the driveway, according to the affidavit. The 11-year-old son later told police he knew his mother was not supposed to be at that property and tried to grab the steering wheel from her.
The son told police he saw his father holding an unopened pocket knife, and realized his father had been stabbed when he saw him covered in blood and a wound on his chest, according to the affidavit.
The child told police his father “bear hugged his mother and she was stabbing at his phone on the ground.” The Weylands’ 7-year-old daughter took the knife out of her mother’s hand and handed it to her brother, who threw it toward the house to get it away from his mother, according to the affidavit.
Both Scott Weyland and his son called 911 for help. The knife was later found in the snow near the house.
When police officers arrived, they found Kandee Weyland “hysterically crying” and giving CPR to her ex-husband. She told an officer that she had stabbed Scott Weyland in the chest and that he had also pulled out a knife, according to the affidavit.
Scott Weyland was taken to the hospital, where he died several hours later. Kandee Weyland was treated for minor lacerations and was found to have a small knife stuck in her abdomen, according to the affidavit.
An autopsy showed Scott Weyland died from a stab wound to the chest that penetrated his heart.
Scott Weyland worked at a local packaging company and was a good father to his children, said his mother, Gay Weyland, in an interview shortly after her son’s death. Scott Weyland’s family declined to speak to reporters following the arraignment.
Kandee Weyland is being held without bail at the York County Jail. If convicted of murder, she would face 25 years to life in prison.
Gillian Graham can be contacted at 791-6315 or at:
Twitter: @grahamgillian
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