BLOOD ROSES

The arguments began when the husband noticed the delivery of a dozen red roses to his wife from an unknown admirer. Days later, the war over the roses ended in carnage. Steven Stumpf, 22, arrived on Jan. 20 at his parents' home in Pottsville, Pennsylvania, to discover his mother Marlene, 47, in a pool of blood in the kitchen. His stepfather Raymond, host of a local cable shopping show, was on the dining-room floor, bleeding from what would be described as self-inflicted wounds. According to the district attorney's office, Marlene Stumpf "suffered a large cutting wound to the entire circumference of her neck," resulting from "an intentional intent to decapitate the victim." Raymond Stumpf, charged with first-degree murder, told police from his hospital bed that he "just went wild."

The fatal flowers had been addressed to "Brandis," the online name used by Marlene Stumpf in a monthlong E-mail correspondence with "TheKing610." Last Tuesday, "TheKing610" revealed himself to be Howard Eskin, 45, an abrasive Philadelphia TV and radio sportscaster nicknamed Pain in the Airwaves. "All I was trying to do was brighten her day," he told his radio audience. "I sensed loneliness. I sensed despair." Her E-mail messages, he said, were "somewhat provocative" but "not X-rated stuff."

District Attorney Michael Marino says Eskin is "just a little piece of the cog," that the victim was having online conversations with six or seven other men. Marino has yet to disclose a message she sent Eskin on the day she died. Says Eskin: "I'm not the reason this happened. I message about 1,000 people and send out about 50 to 75 gifts a year." He is now responding to messages of support at his Website, Brutally Speaking. Marino doesn't blame the Internet: "What if we found love letters? It would be the same thing." After all, the saying "jealousy is as cruel as the grave" can be found in the Bible.

--By Elaine Rivera/New York