Chesco Coroner Inquiring Into Prison Death On Man Charged In Severe Child Abuse Case

WEST CHESTER, PA — There will be a coroner's inquest into the death of Dimitrios Moscharis, the man charged with attempted homicide in the beating and torture of his girlfriend's 9-year-old daughter in November 2020, and who was found dead in Chester County Prison in June as he awaited trial.

Chester County Coroner Dr. Christina VandePol announced Thursday her office will be conducting an inquest on Oct. 21 into the death of Moscharis, then 34, who died in the Chester County Prison on June 18.

"In-custody deaths demand transparency," said VandePol.

After Moscharis was found dead in custody last June, the Coroner's Office said, "The cause and manner of death are under investigation at this time and we do not anticipate finishing this investigation until 6-8 weeks after the date of death."

The inquest comes almost three months after that statement was issued. The Coroner explained this week that there was no evidence of injury and the man was not known to be ill.

This week's news statement from VandePol said, "The inquest is uniquely suited to that purpose. The (deceased man) was only 34 and had no significant past medical history. We found no evidence of any traumatic injury. The inquest will allow us to take a comprehensive look at all the evidence and have a jury weigh in on this case before we conclude our investigation and issue a death certificate."

A Coroner's Inquest in Pennsylvania is a process authorized by Commonwealth law (16 P.S. § 1219-B). An inquest is a fact-finding hearing conducted by the Coroner as part of a death investigation, the Coroner's statement said.

An inquest is not a trial, and no one is found guilty or not guilty, the Coroner's Office explained. Representatives of the media have the right to attend inquests unless personally involved with the inquest or part of the inquest. Members of the public may be admitted or excluded at the discretion of the Coroner.

Coroner's Inquests will be posted under Special Events on the Chester County Court of Common Pleas Judicial Schedule.

The Chester County District Attorney's Office and the Westtown-East Goshen Regional Police Department late on Thanksgiving Day 2020 charged Moscharis with attempted homicide and strangulation blocking nose and mouth, false imprisonment of a minor, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse with serious bodily injury, and other crimes related to the alleged abuse of his girlfriend's 9-year-old daughter. Medical professionals assessed the child's injuries to be consistent with trauma and child torture, officials said at the time. Patch has sought a report on the child's condition and was not provided information.

The victim's mother, Julianne Lewis, 32, of West Chester, was charged with multiple counts of aggravated assault, kidnapping a minor, endangering the welfare of a child, false imprisonment, conspiracy, and related charges for her alleged role in the brutal beating, systemic abuse, and neglect.

Court records show Lewis has pleaded guilty to eight felonies in the case, including four counts of aggravated assault of a child, one count of conspiracy in aggravated assault, one count of kidnapping a minor and inflicting bodily injury, one count of conspiracy in kidnapping a minor, inflicting serious injury and endangering the welfare of a child.

Her sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 22 in Chester County Court.

The Chester County Coroner’s Office is an independent agency serving the citizens and honoring the deceased of the county by investigating the facts and circumstances concerning jurisdictional deaths which have occurred within Chester County. The Office determines the cause and manner of death, the identity of the decedent, and provides notification to the legal next of kin, while exhibiting the highest degree of compassion, professionalism, and integrity.

Read related Patch stories here and here.

Make sure you know what's happening in your town. Sign up to get Patch emails and don't miss any local news: https://patch.com/subscribe.