MELBOURNE, Fla. — A Melbourne woman accused of fleeing from police hours before her father’s body was found is now charged with his murder.
Police said an autopsy revealed Alfred Megathlin, 60, had 70 stab wounds when his body was found in February. Police found several items, including a knife and arrows, near his body.
His daughter, Amber Maltese, 37, was charged in the killing.
Hours before Megathlin’s body was discovered, Maltese was arrested in Indian River County.
Police said she led them on a two-county chase behind the wheel of her father’s pickup truck.
When she was eventually stopped, she was only dressed in her underwear.
According to police, she told an Indian River deputy her dad was dead.
“We’ve now received DNA results from FDLE from blood that was found at the crime scene,” said Assistant State Attorney Gary Beatty.
Police said when they initially went to speak with Maltese about her dad, they noticed a stain in her hair that turned out to be a mixture of her and her father’s blood.
“There was blood found in different locations in the house where the murder took place,” Beatty said.
Investigators said Maltese also made calls from the Indian River County Jail to her mother discussing familiarity with the crime scene.
While police haven’t discussed a motive in the case, interviews revealed Maltese argued with her father over money and some of her behavior and life choices.
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