Boy Said His Mom and Man ‘Fought All the Time’ — Then He Came Home from School and Discovered the Unthinkable

Police in Harrisburg, Pa., are releasing new information about the killing of a mother of three who was fatally stabbed inside her family’s home last month.

Violette Pierre, 31, was found dead around noon on Nov. 25. Her 13-year-old son returned from school and told authorities he discovered both his mother and a man he referred to as his stepfather lying on the bathroom floor, bleeding, according to local outlets CBS 21, WGAL and Fox 43. Citing court documents, the outlets reported that the boy then “frantically” ran out of the house and down the street to alert neighbors that his mother appeared to have been stabbed to death.

In a news release this week, the Harrisburg Bureau of Police said officers arrived at the home shortly afterward and found Pierre dead, with the man she was in a relationship with lying on top of her and suffering from a deep cut to his neck.

“The male, later identified as Rocheny Clerge, was still alive and life-saving measures were performed by officers,” police said. “Clerge was rushed to a local hospital for advanced medical care, and an investigation was initiated.”

While Clerge remained hospitalized, investigators determined that he had allegedly stabbed Pierre before turning the knife on himself, cutting his own throat and collapsing on top of her, police said.

“Clerge has subsequently been charged with Murder and Possession of an Instrument of a Crime,” the department announced Wednesday.

According to WGAL, court documents state that a knife was found next to the bleeding couple inside the bathroom, and investigators believe it was the weapon Clerge allegedly used to stab Pierre.

Investigators later located the 13-year-old boy, who had continued running after alerting neighbors to what he had seen when he came home from school, according to Fox 43. The outlet reported that the teen allegedly told investigators his mother and Clerge “fight all the time” and that the couple argued before he left for school that morning. Pierre had also allegedly threatened to leave Clerge during a fight the night before her death, the boy reportedly told police.

Home security footage reportedly shows the teen leaving for school around 8:30 a.m. local time, WGAL reported, while his uncle took Pierre’s two younger children to their school shortly after. Fox 43 reported that the uncle also allegedly told police that Pierre and Clerge were arguing when he left the home with the younger children.

Video from the residence later shows the 13-year-old “frantically” rushing out of the house moments after arriving home from school, according to Fox 43.

Dauphin County Jail records indicate that Clerge is being held without bond after being taken into custody on Thursday. WGAL reported that he is scheduled to make a preliminary court appearance on Dec. 23.