A man from Linwood, Pennsylvania, received a sentence of 5 to 14 years in state prison for the stabbing and subsequent assault of a woman on December 18, 2023. Anthony A. Mguidich, aged 21, entered an open guilty plea to one count of attempted murder last month, resulting in the dismissal of other charges under the plea agreement negotiated by Deputy District Attorney Gina Gorbey and defense attorney Charles Feeley.
According to an affidavit of probable cause prepared by Lower Chichester Patrolman Christopher Houpt and Delaware County Detective Vincent Port, police responded to a report of a stabbing at approximately 7:32 a.m. The victim was discovered laying in front of a residence on Huddle Avenue, suffering from a stab wound to the neck. She was promptly provided medical assistance and transported to a nearby hospital, where she was intubated and initially listed in critical condition but ultimately survived.
Witnesses reported seeing Mguidich on the second-story roof of a nearby house, brandishing a silver-bladed knife and stabbing the victim before kicking her off the roof. After the incident, he returned indoors, leading police to surround the residence. Mguidich was taken into custody at the crime scene, where a large silver knife and a significant amount of blood were found.
The motive behind the attack remains unclear, as the charging documents did not specify any reasons for the assault. Initially, Mguidich was held on $1 million cash bail and was scheduled for a preliminary hearing in January 2024, which did not occur. By April 2024, he was transferred to Norristown State Hospital for treatment.
In September 2024, during a status conference, Feeley informed Common Pleas Court Judge G. Michael Green that Mguidich had regained competency. He waived a preliminary hearing in December 2024 and was formally arraigned in January 2025. The case faced multiple postponements until the plea hearing on November 20, 2024, at which point Green ordered a psychiatric evaluation prior to sentencing.
During the sentencing hearing, Mguidich expressed remorse in a statement to the court, identifying the victim as his stepmother. He claimed he was not a violent person and expressed his love for her, stating, “I wish I had an explanation for what happened that day… I was experiencing a severe psychotic episode.” He described hearing voices and feeling persecuted, asserting that he had acted out of psychosis rather than malice.
Judge Green found Mguidich’s apology sincere and acknowledged that his actions stemmed from a mental health crisis rather than intentional harm. The judge noted Mguidich had no prior record and had accepted responsibility through his guilty plea.
In addition to his prison sentence, Green mandated that Mguidich undergo one year of reentry supervision and prohibited any inappropriate contact with the victim. He received credit for the time served since his arrest, and the judge recommended that he complete his sentence at a state prison equipped to provide psychiatric care.
