Police recount double homicide that started over a horse and a boarder

1947 Double Murder in Morris County Recounted by Prosecutors

Morris County, NJ — The Morris County Prosecutor’s Office recounted the chilling details of a 1947 double murder in Ionia, now part of Randolph, stemming from an argument over a horse.

Nineteen-year-old Paul Southerland Weinrich was accused of murdering Jerome DiGiovanna and Eleanor Tulp following a series of disputes related to a horse that had caused damage to the property. Weinrich told officers that tensions escalated when DiGiovanna insisted on riding the horse despite it having a saddle sore. The argument culminated on November 1st when DiGiovanna allegedly ordered Weinrich to leave the house.

The following day, an enraged Weinrich shot Tulp three times with his brother’s rifle. He then waited for DiGiovanna to return home and shot him as well. Weinrich stayed in the house for four days while continuing to work at his factory job in Irvington. After learning from a neighbor that police had been to the house, he fled in the victim’s car. He was apprehended by Pennsylvania State Police after leaving a gas station without paying for fuel.

Investigators discovered Tulp’s body wrapped in a sheet in the bedroom and DiGiovanna’s body in a shallow grave near the backyard chicken coop. On February 26, 1948, a Morris County jury found Weinrich guilty of first-degree murder, and he was sentenced to life in prison.

Shore News Network Latest posts

Phil Stilton is the Editor and Publisher of Shore News Network, an independent digital newsroom providing original reporting on New Jersey, national news, government, public policy, public safety, courts, and community affairs.

As founder of the publication, Stilton leads editorial strategy, investigative reporting, and daily newsroom operations while overseeing coverage that reaches millions of readers annually.

With extensive experience covering municipal government, county government, state legislatures, elections, law enforcement, emergency management, and public records, Stilton specializes in translating complex government actions into clear, factual reporting. His work frequently relies on primary source documents, including court filings, legislation, public meeting records, election finance disclosures, government databases, police reports, and Freedom of Information and Open Public Records Act (OPRA) requests. He has reported extensively on local government accountability, taxpayer spending, campaign finance, public corruption investigations, infrastructure, public safety, and the policies affecting New Jersey residents.

Under Stilton's editorial leadership, Shore News Network has grown into one of New Jersey's largest independent digital news organizations, publishing thousands of original news articles each year while providing breaking news coverage, investigative reporting, and analysis across state and local government. The publication's reporting is routinely sourced from official government agencies, public officials, court records, and firsthand documentation, with a commitment to transparency, attribution, corrections when warranted, and clearly distinguishing factual reporting from opinion.

Stilton's journalism follows established newsroom standards emphasizing accuracy, verification, fairness, and accountability. Every effort is made to verify information through official records and multiple reliable sources before publication. His reporting is intended to provide readers with timely, well-documented information that helps them understand the issues affecting their communities, while maintaining editorial independence from political parties, government agencies, advocacy organizations, and commercial interests.

Readers can submit story tips, corrections, public records, or media inquiries through the official Shore News Network website or its verified social media channels. Shore News Network welcomes corrections and updates when new information becomes available as part of its ongoing commitment to accurate and transparent journalism.