Pittsburgh Pediatrician Fatally Stabbed in Bed; Suspect Charged in Separate Sexual Assault
PITTSBURGH — A Pittsburgh pediatric critical care physician was fatally stabbed in his bed and his wife was critically injured after a man entered their home through a back window after midnight Thursday, according to Allegheny County police and court records. The suspect, 32-year-old Elijah Hemingway, was arrested nearby and now faces charges in the attack as well as a separate sexual assault reported the day before.
Dr. Idris Evans, 46, was pronounced dead at a hospital after first responders found him on the bedroom floor, authorities said. His wife, who has not been publicly identified, remained hospitalized in stable condition Saturday, police said.
Investigators have not publicly described a motive or said whether Hemingway knew Evans, questions that remained central to the case as new charges against him emerged over the weekend.
What happened
Police believe Hemingway entered the Evans home through a back window and went to the couple's third-floor bedroom, where he allegedly began stabbing them in their bed, according to the criminal complaint.
The couple fought back, the complaint said. Evans' wife told their children, ages 8 and 12, to flee to a neighbor's house, where they made it safely. She then ran to a neighbor's home with several stab wounds, police said.
Hemingway escaped through a rear door and was later found by a police canine unit hiding in a neighbor's backyard, according to police. Evans' wife said Hemingway demanded her car keys, but police said it did not appear he tried to take the vehicle.
She also told investigators that during the attack Hemingway made several utterances about 'God' and said he was 'God,' the complaint said. She said her husband addressed Hemingway as 'Elijah,' but she did not recognize him. Allegheny County Police Assistant Superintendent Victor Joseph said she was not sure whether Hemingway identified himself before her husband said his name.
Hemingway was arraigned Saturday evening and is being held without bail at Allegheny County Jail, according to the court docket. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Oct. 9. He faces multiple charges, including criminal homicide, aggravated assault and burglary.
A second investigation
During the investigation into the stabbings, Allegheny County detectives were contacted by police in Wilkinsburg about a reported sexual assault from Wednesday morning in a neighborhood minutes from the Evans home, authorities said.
A female victim told investigators she was walking toward an alley when she was sexually assaulted by an unknown man. Investigators said they found several items connecting Hemingway to the alleged assault, as well as the victim's cellphone, which had been reported stolen.
Hemingway now also faces charges including rape, sexual assault and robbery, police said Saturday.
A record of prior charges
Hemingway has faced several criminal charges in Allegheny County since 2016, according to Pennsylvania court records. In July, he was arrested in connection with burglary and theft and was released on nonmonetary bail. A court hearing in that case is scheduled for Oct. 1.
Court and police records also describe two separate battery-related arrests in Florida. In March 2025, Hemingway was arrested on a domestic battery charge after an argument with his ex-girlfriend, with whom he lived in Deltona, Florida, a police affidavit said. He pleaded no contest, but the outcome was not clear from the records.
The following month, authorities said, he yelled at employees inside a Wells Fargo bank branch in Deltona, then punched, pushed and kicked Volusia County Sheriff's deputies. A deputy said Hemingway continually referred to himself as the Egyptian Pharaoh Tutankhamun, according to an affidavit. He pleaded no contest to three counts of battery on a law enforcement officer and resisting arrest. The sheriff's office said he was sentenced to time served after being held involuntarily for mental health treatment until he was deemed competent to face criminal charges.
In Allegheny County, he was previously found guilty of disorderly conduct and traffic-related offenses, court records show.
The case has drawn attention to questions about how Hemingway was supervised while awaiting earlier charges and how mental health treatment intersected with the criminal proceedings against him.
A doctor remembered
Evans was a 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, the medical center said.
Colleagues remembered him as a compassionate doctor who trained other pediatricians and cared for some of the hospital's sickest children.
Dr. Hayley Hellstern, a Pittsburgh pediatrician, told CNN affiliate KDKA that Evans was a "true angel on Earth," adding that he cared for so many children, saved so many lives and helped train hundreds of pediatricians during his career.
A family whose 16-month-old daughter, Iris, died in August remembered Evans as an attending physician who saw them multiple times every day as she faced a neurodegenerative mitochondrial disease. He helped the family understand Iris' complex medical needs, the father, Casey LaValle, told KDKA.
LaValle said he found comfort in knowing Evans is now with Iris.