In the quiet community of Croydon, Pennsylvania, a heartbreaking story unfolded in the spring of 2018, forever changing the lives of one family. Autumn Bartle, a 14-year-old female, was a creative and bright eighth-grade student who found joy in reading, creative writing, and the world of technology. She was known for her sarcastic wit and her ability to make people laugh.
On March 30, 2018, a day that began like any other, Autumn was brutally attacked in her own home on Sycamore Avenue.
The assault was of an almost unimaginable violence. Autumn was stabbed more than 80 times and shot once in the head. Her mother discovered her unconscious and bleeding on the living room floor later that evening. Emergency services rushed Autumn to St. Christopher's Hospital for Children in Philadelphia, where she fought for her life for three days before succumbing to her injuries on April 2, 2018. The cause of her death was determined to be a gunshot wound to the head and multiple stab wounds.
The investigation quickly centered on a member of her own family. Her 20-year-old cousin, Colin Haag III, who had been living in the family's home, was identified as the primary suspect. Investigators determined that Haag had attempted to sexually assault Autumn. When she bravely fought back, he subjected her to the horrific attack. Evidence showed that Autumn had tried to escape her attacker, with bloody handprints found on a bathroom window. After the assault, Haag stole two handguns belonging to Autumn's father and fled the scene.
A few hours after the attack, police in the nearby town of Bensalem found Haag walking along a road. Before he could be apprehended, he shot himself in the neck in a failed suicide attempt, telling officers he 'didn't want to go to jail.' He was taken to a hospital for treatment of his self-inflicted wound. In his possession, police found the two stolen handguns and a notebook containing a bloody handprint that was later matched to Autumn's DNA.
Colin Haag III was arrested and charged with criminal homicide, attempted rape, burglary, kidnapping, and firearms violations. In February 2019, to avoid the death penalty, Haag pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and the other charges. During the emotional sentencing hearing, Autumn's family spoke of their profound loss, describing her as a 'miracle' with a 'heart that only rivaled the width of her mind.' The judge, calling the crime's brutality 'almost indescribable,' sentenced Colin Haag III to life in prison without the possibility of parole, with an additional consecutive sentence of 33 to 67 years.
