A 21-year-old man from Lower Chichester, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced to a prison term of 5 to 14 years for the attempted murder of a woman, identified as his stepmother. The incident, which occurred nearly two years ago, involved a stabbing and a violent act of pushing the victim off a roof.
Anthony A. Mguidich, residing on the 1400 block of Tallylynn Avenue in Linwood, entered an open guilty plea to one count of attempted murder. Following plea negotiations led by Deputy District Attorney Gina Gorbey and defense attorney Charles Feeley, all other charges were dismissed.
On the morning of December 18, 2023, police responded to a call at 7:32 a.m. regarding a stabbing incident. Officers arrived to find the victim lying on the grass near 1601 Huddle Avenue, suffering from a stab wound to her neck. While waiting for medical assistance, officers provided immediate aid to her. She was later transported to a local hospital, where she was intubated and initially listed in critical condition but ultimately survived.
Multiple eyewitnesses reported seeing Mguidich on the second-story roof porch of a nearby residence, wielding a silver-bladed knife. Witnesses stated that he stabbed the victim before kicking her off the roof. After the attack, Mguidich re-entered the house, prompting police to surround the area. He was apprehended at the scene. A large silver knife and a significant amount of blood were discovered where Mguidich was found, as detailed in an affidavit by Lower Chichester Patrolman Christopher Houpt and Delaware County Detective Vincent Port.
At the time of his arrest, Mguidich was set with a bail amount of $1 million. Initially scheduled for a preliminary hearing before Magisterial District Judge David R. Griffin in January 2024, that hearing was postponed. In April 2024, he was transferred to Norristown State Hospital for psychiatric treatment. By September 2024, during a status conference, Feeley indicated that Mguidich had been restored to competency.
In December 2024, Mguidich waived his preliminary hearing and was formally arraigned in January 2025. The case faced several delays before the plea hearing on November 20, 2025, where Judge G. Michael Green ordered a psychiatric evaluation to be completed prior to sentencing.
During his court appearance, Mguidich expressed remorse, reading a statement in which he apologized to the victim, acknowledging her as his stepmother. He emphasized that he is not a violent person and claimed there was no malice in his actions. “I love my stepmom,” he stated. “I wish I had an explanation for what happened that day, but what I can say is I was not acting out of malice.” Mguidich described experiencing a severe psychotic episode leading up to the incident, during which he believed he was being followed and that people close to him were trying to harm him.
Judge Green noted that Mguidich’s words appeared sincere and indicated that the defendant’s actions stemmed from a mental health crisis rather than malicious intent. The judge also highlighted that Mguidich had no prior criminal record and had taken responsibility for his actions through his guilty plea.
In addition to the prison sentence, Judge Green mandated that Mguidich undergo one year of reentry supervision and prohibited any inappropriate contact with the victim. Mguidich received credit for time served since his arrest, and the court recommended that he complete his sentence at a state prison equipped to provide the necessary psychiatric care.
