A Derry Township woman is accused of sending threatening messages to a pair of country musicians on Instagram and TikTok, the Westmoreland County District Attorney’s office said.
Ashley Rose Felix, 26, is charged with harassment and stalking after, authorities said, she created more than 50 social media accounts to harass Megan Mace-McKay and Liz Mace-Amick, twin sisters from Tennessee who perform as the country music duo Megan & Liz.
Police say Felix sent messages and made posts over the past year exposing the duo’s home addresses, threatening physical harm against them, attempting to sabotage their business relationships and encouraging Mace-McKay to commit suicide and kill her unborn child.
The duo’s mother said the messages became more violent, culminating in messages sent April 20 from an account named ashleyfelix87. The message’s author said they hoped a shooting occurred in Mace-McKay’s town and that Mace-McKay would be shot in the stomach.
Westmoreland County police were contacted after Tennessee authorities determined the accounts originated from the area.
Officials questioned Felix outside her home in Derry on April 20. She initially denied having contact with the musicians and denied having her cellphone with her to refute the accusations, authorities said. When her cellphone rang during the interview, she removed it from under her clothes and admitted her involvement, authorities said.
According to the criminal complaint, Felix confirmed she made 58 Instagram accounts, most of which had usernames that were a combination of her first, middle and last names. She made multiple accounts because the musicians repeatedly blocked her on social media, authorities said.
Felix said she sent messages to the musicians over the past year because she claimed one of them made a negative remark to one of her friends on TikTok. She is free on $5,000 unsecured bail and has a preliminary hearing scheduled for May 10.
Julia Maruca is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Julia at jmaruca@triblive.com.