Pediatric critical care doctor stabbed to death while sleeping; wife wounded, 2 kids escape unharmed
The suspect was arrested and charged with homicide and burglary.
A pediatric critical care doctor was stabbed to death and his wife was stabbed and critically injured by a suspect who allegedly broke in and attacked them in their sleep, authorities in Pennsylvania said.
Officers responded around 12:30 a.m. Thursday to a home in Edgewood, just outside of Pittsburgh, where they found Dr. Idris Evans and his wife both suffering from multiple stab wounds, according to the Allegheny County Police Department.
The wife said they were sleeping in their bedroom -- on the third floor of the house -- when they awoke to a man in his underwear stabbing them with a kitchen knife, according to the criminal complaint.
The couple's two children, ages 8 and 12, were home at the time, according to the criminal complaint. The wife said she yelled for them to flee to a neighbor's house and the children escaped unharmed, according to the criminal complaint and police.
Evans, 46, was taken to a hospital where he was declared dead, police said, and his wife was hospitalized in critical condition.
Police apprehended the suspect, 32-year-old Elijah Hemingway of Pittsburgh, after a K9 unit found him behind a nearby house, authorities said.
The wife said during the attack her husband addressed the suspect as Elijah, but she said she didn't know the suspect, the complaint said. The wife also said the attacker "repeatedly made utterances about 'God' and being 'God,'" according to the complaint.
Authorities described it as a "very violent scene," with broken bedroom furniture and mirrors. A large kitchen knife with apparent blood on it was found in the third-floor bathroom, the complaint said.
Evans was a pediatric critical care doctor at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center's Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh and was an assistant professor of critical care medicine at the University of Pittsburgh, according to a UPMC spokesperson.
"Dr. Evans was a dedicated caregiver and valued member of our hospital and university communities," the spokesperson said in a statement. "Our thoughts are with his family, loved ones, and colleagues."
Hemingway had lacerations to his hand when he was apprehended and was taken to a hospital, police said. He faces charges including homicide, aggravated assault and burglary, police said.
Police said they believe Hemingway accessed the home through a back window.
Hemingway told investigators that Dr. Evans invited him to the home and allowed him inside, the complaint said, although Hemingway didn't provide any details on how he met the doctor.
Hemingway claimed Dr. Evans "attacked him with a 'Michael Myers' style knife and a physical altercation ensued between him and both victims," the complaint said. Hemingway told investigators he was stabbed in the back, but he had no injuries besides his hands, according to the complaint. Hemingway told police he then disarmed Dr. Evans and repeatedly stabbed the couple, according to the complaint.
On Saturday, prosecutors said they also charged Hemingway with rape, robbery and sexual assault in connection with another attack in Wilkinsburg the day before the deadly encounter in Edgewood.
During their investigation into the doctor's homicide, investigators said they received a call about an alleged sexual assault that took place on Sept. 23.
The victim alleged she was walking on a path that connects an alley to West Street when she was sexually assaulted by an unknown male, according to investigators.
Detectives initiated an investigation and were able to recover multiple items connecting Hemingway to the reported sexual assault, along with the victim’s cell phone that was reported stolen during the incident.
ABC News' Ivan Pereira contributed to this report.
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