In the early hours of May 18, 2025, a peaceful Saturday night in the quiet borough of West Conshohocken turned tragic with the fatal shooting of 25-year-old Alyssa Rose Wiest. Her boyfriend of two years, 26-year-old Michael Dutkiewicz, was arrested and charged with her murder following a swift and thorough investigation by local and county authorities.
At approximately 12:25 a.m., West Conshohocken Police officers were dispatched to the 200 block of Moorehead Avenue after neighbors reported hearing a woman’s screams followed by gunshots. Upon arrival, officers found Alyssa Rose Wiest lying face down on the sidewalk, just a few doors from her home at 226 Moorehead Avenue, with multiple gunshot wounds to her torso. Despite immediate medical intervention and transport to Lankenau Hospital, she was pronounced dead.
The incident, occurring in a typically serene residential neighborhood, prompted a joint investigation with Montgomery County Detectives to uncover the circumstances of this violent act.
Investigators found Wiest’s front door ajar, with a trail of blood leading from inside her home to the sidewalk where she collapsed. This evidence suggested she had attempted to flee from her attacker. Forensic teams recovered five bullets: one from a second-floor bedroom, one at the base of the stairs, one from Wiest’s body, and two from the sidewalk. The absence of shell casings indicated the likely use of a revolver, and the bullet locations painted a chilling picture of Wiest being chased from upstairs to the street while under fire.
Additional evidence from the residence included an iPad pierced by a bullet, a suitcase with men’s clothing outside, a cellphone at the stairs’ base, and an empty firearm holster on the living room couch. While Dutkiewicz had no legal firearms registered to him, records showed Wiest had purchased a .38 caliber Ruger revolver in 2020, which authorities suspect may have been the murder weapon, though it was not initially recovered.
Alyssa Rose Wiest was a talented 25-year-old microbiologist at GSK since 2022, where she applied her expertise in laboratory science. She holds a biological sciences degree with a psychology minor from the University of Delaware and is a member of Psi Chi, the international psychology honor society. Beyond her professional achievements, Wiest was compassionate, having served as a student ambassador with People to People International on humanitarian missions. She has maintained community ties through part-time work at Roman Delight since 2017 and her previous roles at Rite Aid, Walgreens, and Grand View Hospital. Her life embodied promise and purpose, tragically cut short.
Witness accounts were critical in determining the events. One neighbor saw a silver pickup truck speeding from Wiest’s driveway immediately after the gunshots. At the same time, another identified a man—later confirmed as Dutkiewicz—standing next to a silver Ford F-150 truck moments later. Surveillance footage and license plate reader data corroborated these reports, tracking the truck’s departure from West Conshohocken and its path through Conshohocken and Abington by 12:50 a.m.
Dutkiewicz, who frequently stayed at Wiest’s home during their two-year relationship, emerged as the prime suspect. The combination of eyewitness testimony, vehicle evidence, and his connection to the victim solidified his involvement in the crime.
Dutkiewicz’s mother, Kathleen, contacted police to report her son’s intent to surrender, initially promising to deliver him and the weapon by 11:00 a.m. After a delay in retrieving the firearm, he turned himself in at noon on May 18. He was charged with first-degree murder, third-degree murder, and possessing an instrument of crime.
Following his preliminary arraignment before Magisterial District Judge Henry J. Schireson, he was remanded to Montgomery County Correctional Facility without bail, the standard for first-degree murder cases in Pennsylvania. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for May 27, 2025, before Judge Cathleen Kelly-Rebar.
Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin R. Steele and West Conshohocken Police Chief Salvatore Carfagno oversaw the case. With over 30 years of prosecutorial experience, Steele has prosecuted thousands of cases, including domestic violence incidents, earning him recognition as a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers in 2019. Chief Carfagno’s department, committed to protecting the community with integrity, responded decisively to the tragedy, coordinating with county detectives to ensure a rapid resolution.
The tragic shooting death of Alyssa Rose Wiest is a profound loss of an outstanding and empathetic young person and the perception of security in West Conshohocken. The tireless work of the West Conshohocken Police and Montgomery County Detectives under Steele and Carfagno’s command culminated in Dutkiewicz’s quick apprehension. As proceedings continue in a judicial context, the tragedy is an evocative clarion call against domestic violence, calling for communities to strengthen prevention and services for victims at risk.
