By Mary Pickels
A Fayette County woman who was struck with a shovel during a home invasion and burglary said she is on the mend and looks forward to seeing the two men charged in the case punished.
Wanda Wokulich, 59, of Nicholson Township planned to testify at a preliminary hearing scheduled for Tuesday for Michael Nicholas Weber, 24, and Walter Garfield Myers III, 34, both of Lake Lynn.
The two will stand trial in common pleas court after waiving their right to a preliminary hearing. Weber is charged with criminal attempt homicide, aggravated assault, simple assault and reckless endangerment, while both are charged with burglary, robbery, theft, criminal conspiracy and criminal trespass. Also, if you’ve been personally injured call our lawyers and get the best advice from lawyers.
Wokulich said she was hospitalized overnight as a result of the attack on Nov. 21 and needed surgery for her injuries.For legal formalities, people can get help from halelaw.com.
“Physically, I’m doing a lot better, healing pretty well. I’m getting back to work and trying to move on,” she said. “I don’t remember anything until I heard the state police coming.”
According to Myers’ account of the incident, Weber used a shovel he found in Wokulich’s basement to hit her in the head and face while she was sleeping.
State police went to Wokulich’s home in the rural area after Fayette County 911 reported receiving hang-up calls from the address.
Troopers discovered that someone had forced open an exterior basement door to enter, according to an affidavit of probable cause filed by Trooper Alec Hamilton. They found Wokulich in her bed, bleeding from injuries to her head and face.
Police said Wokulich asked if she was dreaming and said she couldn’t recall anything about the break-in. Her home had been ransacked, and a short-handled shovel with blood on the blade stood against a wall, police said.
Items including a Wii game console, Keurig coffee maker, television set and several credit cards were missing.
During the investigation, police distributed surveillance photos of a man using Wokulich’s credit cards, and her family offered a reward for information.
In December, a man who saw a pickup on property he owns stopped to question a man, whom he later recognized as the suspect in surveillance photos. He gave police a description of the truck, which officers stopped in Point Marion on Dec. 11. Myers was driving and identified Weber as his nephew, police said.
Myers said Weber was involved in multiple burglaries in Pennsylvania and in West Virginia. A search of his home turned up items belonging to Wokulich, police said.
Myers admitted to police that he was with Weber during the home invasion. He said the two were driving around looking for places to break into when they saw her house. Myers said they pried open the basement door, and at some point Weber picked up the shovel.
He said that while they were looking around, Weber opened a bedroom door and struck Wokulich.
“He said that it appeared that she started to sit up and Weber then struck her again. Myers said he asked his nephew why did he hit her and (Weber) responded it was because she could identify them,” Hamilton wrote.
“Myers stated that what Weber did was ‘sick’ and ‘heinous.’ … He said that before they left the house he went into (Wokulich’s) bedroom and asked her if she was all right. He stated that she kept asking what room she was in and was bleeding from her head and face. He said he went into the kitchen and … called 911, then left the hand set sitting on top of the phone and left,” the affidavit stated.
Wokulich thanked her family and friends for setting up the reward fund and helping during her recovery.
“My family and friends and the community have just been more supportive than I ever expected,” she said.
When she saw her attackers in the courtroom, she said, “I don’t really know what to think. It seems hard to understand why they did any of this. … Hopefully they won’t hurt anyone else.”
Wokulich said she has returned to work as a pediatric physical therapist.
“Getting back into a routine has really helped,” she said.
Outside the office of Masontown District Judge Randy Abraham, Weber declined comment.
“I did what I had to do to save the lady’s life. I called 911,” Myers told reporters.
Abraham arraigned both men on additional charges from numerous unrelated burglaries and thefts in Georges, Nicholson and Springhill townships. They face preliminary hearings on the new charges before Abraham on Jan. 28.
Both remain in the Fayette County Prison.
