Twila A. Tanner, a 51-year-old woman, was known for her courage and selflessness, qualities she demonstrated in the final moments of her life. A resident of Erie, Pennsylvania, she was a mother and grandmother who left behind a loving family facing an unimaginable loss. Those who knew her remembered her as someone willing to put herself in harm's way to help others, a brave woman who tried to protect a friend's family from a dangerous situation.
On the afternoon of Friday, October 9,
2026, Twila accompanied her friend and neighbor, Lora Lee Roberts, on a tragic errand. Lora, 37, had received a call via Facebook Messenger at 4:39 p.m. from her niece, 24-year-old Angelina Stone. Angelina, who was pregnant and due to give birth the following Monday, needed a ride to the hospital and was planning to leave her family's home on Perry Street for good. Lora told her niece she was on her way, and she and Twila drove the few miles to the house in a Honda SUV. They were trying to help Angelina escape a volatile and abusive environment.
When they arrived, they were met with gunfire outside the residence. Both Twila and Lora were shot and killed before they could reach Angelina. Inside the home, a horrific scene was unfolding. Angelina's father, Matthew Stone Sr., 45, had begun a rampage, killing six members of his own family. His victims inside the house were his wife, Michelle Stone, 44; his daughter Angelina and her unborn child; his sons, Matthew Stone Jr., 21, and Jonathan Stone, 19; and two young grandchildren, a five-year-old boy and a nearly two-year-old girl named Amari'anna.
The Erie Police Department was dispatched to the Perry Street home at 4:53 p.m., arriving two minutes later to a rapidly developing and uncertain situation. Unsure of what had happened inside or if there were hostages, officers established a perimeter. It wasn't until 7:12 p.m. that they made entry into the house. Within minutes, they discovered the bodies of the nine deceased individuals. Matthew Stone Sr. was found among them, dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound from the same .40-caliber handgun he used to murder his family and the two women who had come to help.
The subsequent investigation, led by Erie Police Chief Rick Lorah, painted a grim picture of life inside the Stone household. Family members told detectives that Matthew Stone Sr. exercised significant control over his wife and children for years, restricting their finances and their ability to leave the home or see friends and relatives. He had a history of domestic violence, including a 2019 incident involving his wife and the same firearm used in the massacre, though the charges were later withdrawn after Michelle Stone changed her statement. Detectives also learned of concerns about his declining mental health and suspected substance abuse, finding drugs in the home. The house itself was described as "extremely filthy," with non-working plumbing and bottles of urine found throughout.
Angelina had been planning her escape. She had previously filed a petition to change her last name, citing her father's mental health and her desire to pursue a medical career without being associated with him. In messages sent shortly before her death, she indicated her father was kicking her and her brothers out and had been physically abusive. When police searched her room, they found her belongings packed in bags and boxes, ready to go. The investigation concluded that Matthew Stone Sr. was the sole perpetrator, and with his death, the case was considered closed.
In the wake of the tragedy, a GoFundMe fundraiser was organized to support Twila's family, specifically to help provide for the adolescent children she left behind and to ease the financial burden of their loss. The organizer described Twila's final act as a moment of "courage and selflessness." The case drew national attention from gun violence prevention and domestic violence awareness organizations, who pointed to the incident as a horrific example of the deadly intersection of domestic abuse and access to firearms. As of October 2026, the investigation was considered ongoing, but police did not expect to release further information.
