The lunatic accused of fatally stabbing a sleeping Pennsylvania doctor was pinched in an unrelated burglary case two months ago — and was walking free when he carried out the shocking slaying, records show.
Elijah Hemingway was arrested in July on burglary and theft charges stemming from a separate break-in February but he was released on “non-monetary bail” just hours later, according to court records viewed by The Post.
Hemingway, 32, had attended three hearings for the alleged burglary and was due back in court Oct. 1, the records show.
But he would go on to allegedly break into Idris Evans’ home Thursday and slash him and his wife as they and their young daughters slept in a disturbing attack that left the pediatric critical care physician dead.
Police said the knife-wielding assailant appeared “psychotic” and was rambling about God and “being God” when he busted into the couple’s room just after 12:30 a.m.
The couple tried to fight back, and Evans yelled “Elijah” during the middle-of-the-night attack as if he knew him, his wife said after witnessing her husband’s horrific murder, WPXI reported, citing court documents.
Hemingway claimed to have been invited to the home, but officials found no evidence to back the claim and the alleged killer couldn’t tell cops how he had previously met the Evans.
Evans was rushed to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
His wife survived the attack but suffered severe wounds.
Their children, ages 8 and 12, ran to a neighbor’s home after their mom yelled for them to flee.
“It was a very violent scene. The bedroom furniture broken, mirrors broken. It was a very graphic scene,” Assistant Superintendent Victor Joseph said.
Hemingway was hunted down by a police K9 to a neighboring home where he was found with lacerations on his hands and transported to hospital, officials said.
He was slapped with a slew of charges, including criminal homicide, aggravated assault, burglary and criminal trespass, according to officials.
Evans was a physician and the co-Medical Director of UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh’s Pediatric Transport Team as well as an Assistant Professor of Critical Care Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh, according to his online bio.
“The UPMC and University of Pittsburgh community is deeply saddened by the tragic loss of Dr. Idris Evans, a pediatric critical care physician at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh and an assistant professor of critical care medicine at the University of Pittsburgh,” UPMC said in a statement to WPXI.
