A man accused of killing Pittsburgh children’s doctor Dr Idris Evans in a late-night home invasion had been facing burglary and theft charges over an alleged break-in at an ex-partner’s home months earlier, authorities said.
Elijah Hemingway, 32, was arrested on July 9 in connection with the earlier case and released the following day while the charges remained pending.
He is now accused of entering Dr Evans’s family home in Edgewood, Allegheny County, through an open window shortly after 12.30am on Thursday. Police allege he went upstairs and attacked the doctor and his wife, Gina, with a knife as they slept.
Dr Evans, 46, was a paediatric critical care physician and medical director at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. He died in hospital after suffering multiple stab wounds.
Previous burglary case
In the earlier case, Hemingway was accused of forcing his way into a woman’s home on Overbeck Street in Pittsburgh while she was taking her child to day care.
Investigators alleged that a laptop and two iPhones were stolen. The woman told police Hemingway had never lived at the property and did not have permission to enter.
He was charged with burglary and theft by unlawful taking, but was released from custody while the case was still before the courts.
Records also detail previous allegations against Hemingway in Florida. In one case, he was accused of attacking three sheriff’s deputies after causing a disturbance at a Wells Fargo bank and later making concerning statements at a shopping centre.
Authorities alleged that he told one deputy the officer was part of a simulation, referred to himself as an Egyptian Pharaoh, ran away and jumped on parked vehicles. When a deputy attempted to have him assessed under Florida’s Baker Act, Hemingway allegedly punched the officer.
Other deputies who tried to restrain him alleged that he struck, pushed and kicked them. Hemingway later pleaded no contest to battery of a law enforcement officer.
In a separate Florida case, he was accused of repeatedly punching an ex-girlfriend during an argument and grabbing her by the neck. The woman allegedly fled into a bathroom with her son, locked the door and called for help.
A criminal complaint in that case said a records check had found “multiple prior arrested for assault and aggravated assault in Pennsylvania with no prosecution.”
Attack on Dr Idris Evans
According to the criminal complaint, Mrs Evans awoke to find an intruder wearing only underwear and holding a kitchen knife. She and her husband fought back during what Allegheny County Police Assistant Superintendent Victor Joseph described as “a very violent scene”.
“The bedroom furniture was broken, mirrors broken. It was a very graphic scene,” Mr Joseph said.
Mrs Evans, who was also seriously injured, managed to break free and shouted for the couple’s children, aged eight and 12, to leave the house. She escaped to a neighbour’s home and called police.
Officers found both adults suffering from multiple stab wounds. They were taken to hospital in critical condition, but doctors were unable to save Dr Evans.
Hemingway was later found hiding behind a nearby house with an injury to his hand. A neighbour said police had flooded the normally quiet area before finding him concealed in her garden.
Police said Hemingway later claimed Dr Evans had invited him to the house hours before the attack and alleged that the doctor and his wife had assaulted him. Authorities said he could not provide details to support that account.
He has been charged with criminal homicide, aggravated assault, burglary and criminal trespass. Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen Zappala has also said investigators are examining whether Hemingway may be connected to a sexual assault case in the county.
Dr Evans’s death has shocked colleagues at UPMC Children’s Hospital and the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, where he was an assistant professor of critical care medicine.
“Dr Evans was a dedicated caregiver and valued member of our hospital and university communities,” UPMC said. “Our thoughts are with his family, loved ones, and colleagues during this difficult time. We ask that their privacy be respected.”
A tribute set up to support Mrs Evans and the couple’s children remembered Dr Evans as “a father, a husband, a brother, a friend, and one of the best humans that I had the opportunity to know.”
Edgewood police said residents could be feeling “shaken” after the killing, describing the area as “a small and close-knit community”.
