Cops: Wife claims she killed Penn star over porn

ON THE hardwood, Matt White could more than hold his own.

As a 6-foot-10 center for the Penn Quakers, he was the anchor on the men's basketball team that made it all the way to the Final Four in 1979.

But early Monday morning, as White, 55, lay asleep in his bed, he was unable to defend himself against a much smaller foe. That's when, authorities say, his wife plunged a kitchen knife into his neck, killing him.

Maria Reyes Garcia-Pellon, 52, was charged with first- and third-degree murder in her husband's slaying at their Parkridge Drive home, in Nether Providence. Investigators said she became upset after she allegedly saw him looking at pornography on their computer.

Police responded shortly before 1 p.m. Monday to reports of a possible stabbing. When they arrived at the one-story rancher, they found Garcia-Pollon pulling into her driveway. As they took her into custody, she allegedly told officers: "I caught him looking at pornography, young girls. I love kids. I had to do it," according to court documents.

Garcia-Pellon allegedly told investigators that between midnight and 1 a.m. Monday, she got out of the bed and went to the kitchen for a glass of water and retrieved two knives. When she went back into the bedroom, she concealed the knives underneath her side of the bed. Once White fell asleep, she said, she stabbed him in the neck.

White awoke and the two briefly struggled for control of the knife, before he stated, "I'm dying, I'm dying," and collapsed on the bed, the documents said. Garcia-Pellon told authorities that she then changed her clothes and left the house.

Authorities said that Garcia-Pellon initially confessed to a friend, who called police.

White, a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, was a fifth-round draft pick by the Portland Trailblazers, in 1979. When his career in the states sputtered, White went to Europe, where he played professionally for 12 years.

It was during that pro career that White met Garcia-Pollon - who friends called Reyes - in Spain, friends said. The two got married and had two children, Matt Jr. and Ana, and eventually returned to the states.

Those who knew the couple were still struggling to process the news Tuesday.

"My wife and I, we, just as everybody else, [are] just shocked because it is so uncharacteristic of who Reyes is," said Bruce Bergwall, a former Penn teammate of White's. "Nothing adds up; nothing really makes any sense. I'm just surprised at the whole thing."

Garcia-Pellon worked as an instructional support-staff member at Nether Providence Elementary School. Administrators and teachers there declined to comment Tuesday, except for one woman who said that "we're stunned and upset."

White had an MBA from the Wharton School and had worked as a writer since retiring from basketball. He suffered a debilitating stroke in 2010 that left one side of his body weakened, but he had recently looked into writing business plans."He had a few irons in the fire," Bergwall said.