Pittsburgh pediatrician killed in bed attack; injured wife told children to flee, police say

A Pittsburgh pediatrician was stabbed to death and his wife was critically wounded early Thursday when a man broke into their home and attacked the couple in bed, authorities said, while the couple’s two children fled to a neighbor’s house.

Dr. Idris Evans, 46, and his wife were awakened after midnight by a man in his underwear stabbing them with a kitchen knife, according to a criminal complaint. The wife told police the couple began “fighting back the best of their ability” as she yelled for their children to run.

Officers were called to the home in Edgewood, a small borough just east of Pittsburgh, at 12:31 a.m. and found Evans and his wife suffering from multiple stab wounds, the Allegheny County Police Department said. Both were taken to a hospital, where Evans was pronounced dead. His wife remained in critical condition, police said.

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

The suspect, identified by police as 32-year-old Elijah Hemingway, was found behind a nearby home by a canine unit, authorities said. He 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. It was not immediately clear whether he had legal representation.

Officials have not disclosed a motive. Investigators are still working to determine whether Evans and Hemingway knew each other, Joseph said.

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 of Pittsburgh, according to the medical center.

UPMC said the hospital and university communities were grieving. “The UPMC and University of Pittsburgh community is deeply saddened by the tragic loss,” UPMC said in a statement. “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.”

According to the criminal complaint, Evans’ wife told investigators that the attacker repeatedly made “utterances about ‘God’ and being ‘God.’” She said her husband addressed the man as “Elijah,” though she did not recognize the assailant. Joseph said she was unsure whether Hemingway had identified himself before her husband said the name.

Authorities believe Hemingway entered the home through a back window before the attack, Joseph said. The couple’s children, ages 8 and 12, escaped safely to a neighbor’s home after their mother urged them to flee, according to court documents.

The attacker demanded the mother’s car keys, she told police, but she could not recall how he left. Hemingway took the keys, though police said there was no evidence he tried to take the vehicle. Authorities said he fled through the rear door and hid in a nearby backyard, where he was found.

The wounded mother ran to a neighbor’s home. First responders found Evans in a third-floor bedroom with severe injuries; he was later pronounced dead at a hospital, according to court documents.

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

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, Sandra Trappen, told CNN affiliate KDKA that 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,” she said.

Trappen said her street quickly filled with police cars arriving from all directions. “It was very clear that something serious had happened,” she said. Still, she described the neighborhood as a place where residents generally feel safe. “But this is not a place, you know, where you would generally feel fearful,” she said.

The Edgewood Borough Police Department urged residents to check on family, friends and neighbors after the attack. “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.”

The attack rattled both the medical community and the close-knit borough, where residents said they generally feel safe. As investigators continue to piece together what led to the attack, authorities are asking anyone with information to come forward and reminding residents to lean on one another in the days ahead.