An aunt of suspected serial killer Stewart Weldon exclusively told DailyMail.com that the family was deeply shocked and believed ‘something snapped’ in him.
Hannah Weldon, 63, told DailyMail.com: ‘When I saw what had happened to that girl, I said that boy is sick he really is. At least he gave her some water to stay hydrated.
‘Something had to snap for him to turn like that.’
His aunt added: ‘I know his father is turning over 50,000 times in that grave. He would have never approved what he was doing.’
Stewart Weldon had about 20 cases against him when he was arrested Sunday after a car chase that ended when he crashed into a police cruiser and wrestled with officers. Both mugshots of Weldon are pictured
Stewart Weldon, 40, was arrested on Sunday after a traffic stop for a broken tail-light in Springfield, Massachusetts.
He led police on a high-speed chase and when they finally apprehended him, they found a woman, 25, in the car with severe injuries who said he had held her captive for a month, tortured and raped her.
The woman was taken to hospital with what police called ‘grotesque and violent’ injuries, including a possible fractured jaw, stab wounds to her abdomen, marks from being hit with a blunt object and a leg infection.
‘I think it’s a damn shame that he handcuffed her, kidnapped her and beat her with a hammer. It really hurts that somebody could do something like that,’ the aunt said.
‘If they hadn’t stopped him with that broken tail light they would have never have known that she was in the car.’
Weldon, a father of a young son, who lives in New Jersey, and six-month-old baby girl, has been charged with kidnap, sexually assault and torture.
‘DSS [Department of Social Services] has the baby now, so there’s no telling what’s going to happen,’ Ms Weldon said.
Three dead bodies have been found at his home in Springfield, Massachusetts. Weldon has been charged with kidnapping, sexually assaulting and torturing a woman, a prosecutor said on Thursday
The woman was taken to a hospital with what police called ‘grotesque and violent’ injuries, including a possible fractured jaw, stab wounds to her abdomen, marks from being hit with a blunt object and a leg infection
On Wednesday, police were called to his home in Springfield where two bodies were discovered in the basement and the garage. A third body was discovered on Thursday. No identities or gender were given.
Police forensic units are now excavating the backyard searching for other bodies.
‘We are just waiting to find out who they actually found,’ his aunt said.
Stewart Weldon has not yet been charged in connection with the three bodies found at the Springfield home, which belongs to his mother.
The aunt said that she believed he had never been violent towards anyone in his own family.
‘It’s just the outside,’ she said. ‘I don’t know what triggered him. He’s been off his meds for a long time.
‘When you stop taking your meds, you can flip out. It’s terrible the way things are going, because we don’t know who the people are that they found.
‘When you reach a certain age, you can’t force somebody to take their medication.
‘Or people sell them, depending on what kind of pills they are.’
Ms Weldon said that she did not know the specifics of her nephew’s mental illnesses.
The sister of his late father, Stewart Weldon Sr., said that the family were ‘devastated and shocked’ to hear the news of her nephew’s crimes.
‘It’s just heart-breaking and the family is trying to deal with it, one day at a time. We’re still in shock,’ she said.
The 63-year-old said she found out what her nephew had been accused of when she received a call from her sister in Arizona, whose son had watched it on the news, and asked if they were related.
‘I called my other sister and she said it’s Stewie’s son. Then looking at his picture – I knew he was a Weldon. He looks like his father.
‘It was a shock when everybody heard, our mouths just dropped. We didn’t believe it until we saw it on the news.’
She said that she was extremely concerned for Stewart’s mother, Constance, ‘Connie’ Weldon, 72, who had been living at the house on Page Boulevard with her only son.
‘We have not got in touch [with Connie]. Nobody knows if his mom was there when it happened.’
She said that news of her nephew was sporadic over the years.
‘You see him and you don’t see him,’ she said. ‘‘The majority of that side of the family, they all stayed in jail. There was nothing we could do.’
The aunt said that Stewart Weldon had gone to Springfield Central High and lived between Massachusetts and New Jersey.
The aunt said that he had been in trouble for a long time. ‘He’s been going to jail since 1997. It’s ridiculous.’
When asked if he had a job in Springfield, his aunt responded: ‘No. Dealing.’
Criminal records for Weldon have revealed a long history of violent attacks and weapons charges as some family members attempt to cash in on their connection to a potential serial killer after three bodies were found at his Massachusetts home.
According to court records obtained by DailyMail.com, Weldon, 40, had around 20 cases against him prior to his arrest on Sunday, while three cases were currently open.
Meanwhile, Isaiah Weldon, who identifies himself as a cousin of Stewart Weldon, posted several public messages on Facebook appealing to news outlets, to cash in on the tragedy.
On Friday, one post read: ‘Heard the news my cuz Stewart Weldon is officially a serial killer. Yes he is my first cousin and their [sic] looking for family to speak with well somebody tell DateLine, NBC, GM America I need 6 figures for my story. Trust me I got stories. If not no comment.’
Weldon pleaded not guilty to a variety of charges on Tuesday and was held on $1million bail.
Several hours later, the alleged cousin wrote: ‘But why ABC news just hit me back. Oh it’s bout to get real. Like I said 6 figures and up.’
He added: ‘Listen if you from a news channel please do not hit my inbox unless we talking 6 figures. Yes 6 figures till then so far ABC looking interested in my story.’
Isaiah Weldon is claiming to be the first cousin of Stewart Weldon and is attempting to cash in on stories about the suspected killer
Weldon’s criminal career started in 1997 in New Jersey when he was charged with unlawful possession of rifles and shotguns. He was later charged with breaking and entering.
In Massachusetts, he was charged with assault with a dangerous weapon and jailed in 2005. He was released in 2008.
Weldon was charged with felony breaking and entering, assault and battery on two police officers and resisting arrest among other charges in 2010.
The report reveals that at 1.15am on July 22, Weldon was interrupted in the middle of allegedly attempting to rob a Food Zone store in Springfield and led police on a dangerous high-speed chase.
When he lost control of the van and continued on foot, the officers were able to chase him down.
A child has been taken into emergency state custody after police searched the home
The report states: ‘Mr Weldon violently resisted, kicking at Officer Goodrow’s legs and elbowing me in the chest and shoulders.’ The officers sprayed him with O.C. spray to bring him under control and he was arrested.
In October 2010, Weldon was arrested on charges of unarmed robbery, assault and battery on a police officer and resisting arrest among other charges.
According to the police report, he was apprehended by police while attempting to break into R&R Grocery Store in Springfield and ‘arguing with a Hispanic male’.
The police report states: ‘Mr Weldon was threatening [redacted] yelling ‘I’m going to kill you cause I hate Puerto Ricans they robbed me!’ At this time, we attempted to separate Mr Weldon from [redacted] which caused Mr
Weldon to become violent… Mr Weldon began swinging/striking us in the torso area and shouting, ‘I’m FBI n****.’
After Weldon is handcuffed, later in the report, it states: ‘Mr Weldon appeared to be under the influence of alcohol, his speech was slurry and the smell of alcohol emanated from his person. Due to Mr Weldon’s violent behaviour, we also believed that he might have been under the influence of a narcotic substance.’
The manager of the store also told police officers that during the robbery, Weldon had threatened to kill him, according to the report.
The report also states: ‘Prior to leaving the scene, Mr Weldon began to strike his head up against the cage which separates the rear seats from the front seats. He began to state, ‘I’m gonna sue, you guys beat me!’ We advised Mr Weldon to stop banging his head against the cage but that caused him to do so harder/faster. For Mr Weldon’s safety we were forced to use our department issued pepper spray in order to stop Mr Weldon from hurting himself.’
Weldon, 40, pleaded not guilty to a variety of charges on Tuesday and was held on $1million bail
He was previously jailed in New Jersey for burglary and given probation for unlawful possession of a weapon
He was given prison time and released in January 2012.
He had been released on pre-trial conditions which included home confinement with a GPS device monitoring and a ban on driving.
Weldon missed a meeting with a probating officer on February 12 and at the time of his arrest on Sunday, there was an active warrant out for his arrest.
He is being held on kidnapping, sexual assault and other charges including resisting arrest; driving with a revoked license; and failing to stop for police, records show.
He has not yet been charged in connection with the three bodies found at the Springfield home, which belongs to his mother.
Neighbor Lauren Chicoine, who lives behind Weldon’s house on Page Boulevard, told DailyMail.com that she had never noticed anything strange going on at the house or in the garden, despite her dog being out in the backyard all the time. She said that she had never seen Weldon at the home.
She said the first indication that something was wrong was Wednesday evening around 6pm when about 15 police cruisers surrounded the property and officers began going door to door to speak with neighbors.
‘I just feel guilty to know that something so awful has been happening this close and we didn’t know anything,’ Ms Chicoine said. ‘And to know there were children in the house. Its’ horrible. This is a nice neighborhood.’
At Weldon’s former apartment complex in Westfield, several neighbors, who declined to be named, told DailyMail.com that they knew Weldon ‘very well’ but said they were unable to speak about him at this time.