Daughter, boyfriend charged in Del. man's death

LEIPSIC, Del. - January 16, 2013 (WPVI) -- Delaware State Police say a woman and her boyfriend have been arrested and charged in the violent death of her father.

According to investigators, 45-year-old Leipsic resident Tony Mozick was reported missing on January 8, 2013 when he never showed up at his mother's house, where he is given daily medication due to a disability.

Tony's mother told police that she had last heard from her son on the evening of January 5th when she talked to him over the phone.

The investigation revealed that on December 12th, Troopers were called to the unit block of West Street in Leipsic after Tony Mozick was allegedly assaulted by his daughter, Jennifer L. Barnes, 23, and her boyfriend, Gerard T. Schweiger, 24.

Both Barnes and Schweiger were arrested and subsequently issued a no contact order that prohibited them from being at Mozick's residence. However, witnesses say Barnes was allowed back at the home due to her four young children.

Then at approximately 9:00 a.m. on Tuesday, January 15th, police responded to Mozick's residence and conducted a search warrant. Investigators discovered a large amount of blood near the victim's bedroom and a portion of carpet missing in the room, which was found discarded across the street.

Jennifer Barnes, who was at the house with her four children at the time of the search, was taken into police custody. Her children were turned over to a relative.

Detectives say their investigation determined that on the night of January 5th, Barnes invited Schweiger over to the house on West Street. When Schweiger entered the home he was confronted by Mozick and a physical altercation ensued.

During the struggle, Schweiger allegedly pulled a small knife and stabbed Mozick multiple times. According to police, the couple then placed the victim's body in a 55 gallon plastic tote container and moved it out to a garage behind the house where it was left overnight.

The next day, Barnes and Schweiger loaded the container into a vehicle and drove to the bridge spanning the Leipsic River on Fast Landing Road. That's where they allegedly unloaded the container and threw it into the river.

Schweiger was taken into custody Tuesday afternoon in Odessa.

Barnes and Schweiger are charged with First Degree Murder, Possession of a Deadly Weapon During the Commission of a Felony, First Degree Conspiracy, four counts of Endangering the Welfare of a Child, Abusing a Corpse, and Breach of Release. Both were arraigned and are now jailed without bail.

The investigation into this incident is ongoing as the search for Tony Mozick's body continues.

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kent county, delaware, homicide, local/state

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