Man Heading to Trial Over a Flush

Pittsburgh's Thomas Wells charged with abuse of grandparents' ashes
By Arden Dier,  Newser Staff
Posted May 15, 2019 3:47 PM CDT
Man Heading to Trial Over a Flush
   (Getty Images/ThanaphatSomwangsakul)

Asked to move out of his mother's house, a 33-year-old man allegedly flushed his grandparents' ashes down the toilet out of spite, prompting charges of abuse of a corpse. Thomas Wells of Pittsburgh had been living with his mother for a short stint prior to September when she asked him to leave because, as she later told McKeesport Police, "all he wanted to do was to smoke marijuana and drink alcohol," per CBS Pittsburgh.

It wasn't until early February that Denise Porter learned through a relative that Wells had allegedly flushed the ashes of her parents, which were part of a bedroom memorial, reports the Tribune-Review. She told police Wells eventually sent a text reading, "Yup, and as soon as you die, you'll be in the s----er, you b----." He was ordered held for trial on two counts of abuse of a corpse and one count of criminal mischief on Monday. No trial date has been set. (More weird crimes stories.)

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