A Scranton man faces homicide charges after a brutal, bloody machete attack Tuesday inside the Jermyn Apartments.
Two women are dead and a third person is critically wounded. A service dog also died during the attack, according to arrest papers.
Vehicles drive through the intersection of Wyoming Ave. and Biden St. past Hotel Jermyn in downtown Scranton Wednesday, December 10, 2025. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Michael Willie Marquis Woods, 38, who lived in apartment 612, faces two counts of criminal homicide, two counts of aggravated assault and a felony count of cruelty to animals.
According to the complaint:
Officers responded to the sixth floor of the apartment building at about 6:30 p.m., on a report of a man with a machete threatening other residents.
Officers spotted a man matching the suspect, later identified as Woods, near the intersection of Biden Street and Wyoming Avenue. Police took Woods into custody, noting he was covered in blood.
Woods told officers he smoked PCP earlier that day.
Two women dead
Police responded to the sixth floor and found a blood-covered hallway.
Police found the first victim in the hall with upper body stab wounds. She was transported to the hospital where she was pronounced dead.
Officers found a second victim outside apartment 608 with multiple stab wounds. She was also transported to the hospital where she was pronounced dead. Inside that apartment, police found a Labrador retriever, also stabbed to death and hidden under a bed.
First responders block Biden St. while responding to a reported stabbing at Hotel Jermyn in Scranton on Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
In apartment 605, officers found a third female victim with a deep stab wound to her chest and her hand nearly severed. She was rushed to the hospital, where she remains in critical condition.
A witness told officers she saw the first two victims being stabbed. The witness said the victims were screaming. The third victim opened her apartment door and Wood stabbed her with the machete, the witness said.
Wood was arraigned Wednesday morning and denied bail.
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