Pittsburgh pediatrician stabbed to death in his bed by trespasser as injured wife called for children to flee, officials say

By Dalia Faheid, CNN

(CNN) — A Pittsburgh pediatrician was killed and his wife was critically injured after a man broke into their home and stabbed them in their bed while their young children escaped to a neighbor’s home, according to authorities.

Dr. Idris Evans and his wife woke up to a man in his underwear stabbing them in bed with a kitchen knife after midnight Thursday, and they began “fighting back the best of their ability” as the mother yelled for their children to flee, she told police, according to a criminal complaint.

Officers responded to the Edgewood home shortly after midnight to find Evans and his wife with multiple stab wounds each and took them to a hospital, where Evans was pronounced dead, the Allegheny County Police Department said in a statement. His wife remains in critical condition, police said.

“It was a very violent scene. The bedroom furniture broken, mirrors broken. It was a very graphic scene,” Assistant Superintendent Victor Joseph said at a news conference.

The suspect, identified as 32-year-old Elijah Hemingway, was found behind a nearby home by a canine unit, according to police. Hemingway had “bleeding lacerations on his hands” and was taken to a local hospital for treatment, police said.

Hemingway faces multiple charges including homicide, aggravated assault, burglary and criminal trespass, according to police. CNN is working to determine if he has legal representation.

Officials have not provided information on any motive in the attack. Investigators are working to determine whether Evans and Hemingway knew each other, Joseph said.

Evans was a 46-year-old pediatric critical care physician at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh and an assistant professor of critical care medicine at the University of Pittsburgh, according to the medical center.

“The UPMC and University of Pittsburgh community is deeply saddened by the tragic loss,” UPMC told CNN in a statement Thursday. “Dr. Evans was a dedicated caregiver and valued member of our hospital and university communities. Our thoughts are with his family, loved ones, and colleagues during this difficult time.”

Mother describes attack

Evans’ wife described the man repeatedly making “utterances about ‘God’ and being ‘God’” during the attack and her husband addressing him as “Elijah,” though she didn’t recognize the assailant, according to the complaint.

She was unsure if Hemingway had identified himself by name before her husband said it, Joseph said.

Authorities believe Hemingway entered the home through a back window before attacking the couple, he added.

The mother yelled out for their children, ages 8 and 12, to flee to a neighbor’s house, according to court documents. The children were able to escape safely, officials said.

The attacker demanded the mother’s car keys, she told police, but she couldn’t recall how he left. Hemingway took her car keys but there’s no evidence he tried to take the vehicle, according to police. Authorities said he “fled the home through the rear door and hid in a nearby backyard” where they found him.

The mother, who had several stab wounds, ran to a neighbor’s home.

Authorities responded at 12:31 a.m. after being notified of the reported stabbing, police said. First responders found Evans in the third-floor bedroom severely injured before he was pronounced dead at a hospital, according to court documents.

Suspect found in nearby yard

A police canine team found Hemingway a “few houses away,” wearing underwear and suffering cuts to his hands, according to police. He had “large slices to his hands” that don’t appear to be self-inflicted, Joseph said.

Investigators reported blood in the bedroom, a bloodstained kitchen knife in a bathroom, a broken mirror, blood on a rear-door handle and an open kitchen window with suspected blood nearby, according to the filing.

The couple’s longtime neighbor said Hemingway had been hiding in her backyard before authorities found him.

“There’s an area of my garden that’s not particularly well-manicured like the other parts, and he had found a way to conceal himself, but apparently he was injured and bleeding,” Sandra Trappen told CNN affiliate KDKA.

Trappen said her street was filled with police cars coming from all directions. “It was very clear that something serious had happened.”

“But this is not a place, you know, where you would generally feel fearful,” Trappen said.

The Edgewood Borough Police Department encouraged residents to check in with family, friends and neighbors in light of the tragedy in the community.

“We are a small and close knit community and we are sure that many of you may be feeling shaken today,” the department said in a statement. “One of the best things we can do right now is look out for one another, give people some grace, and make sure nobody who is struggling feels like they have to deal with this alone.”

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