State Rep's Sisters Found Shot To Death
Source: Huffington Post
State Rep's Sisters Found Shot To Death
Posted: 02/08/2014 5:26 pm EST Updated: 02/08/2014 5:59 pm EST
Two sisters of a state lawmaker were found dead on Friday, the Des Moines Register reported.
Police said that Susan and Sarah Wolfe, sisters of Iowa state representative Mary Wolfe (D), were shot to death in their home in Pennsylvania. Another state lawmaker confirmed the news to the Des Moines Register.
"They were both incredible people, and we would like their friends and colleagues to know a little bit more about them and how much we appreciate their thoughts and wishes," Wolfe told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
According to the Post-Gazette, Wolfe said she was one of eight children. Her website says that she has two other brothers and three other sisters. The family was raised in Iowa.
Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/02/08/mary-wolfe-sisters-dead-shot_n_4752771.html
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John1956PA
(2,654 posts)The victim's abandoned car was found early Saturday morning, February 8. The Pittsburgh police have not identified any suspects. The Pittsburgh Post Gazette has reported that it appears that the victims sustained gun shot wounds.
mrmpa
(4,033 posts)my 83 year old mother and I were discussing this murder. Neither of us knew of them being the sisters of the Iowa state rep. Mom said that probably someone from Iowa came here to Pittsburgh to kill them, because they didn't want to do it (the murder) in Iowa. Now I read this & wonder if mom is right.
RKP5637
(67,108 posts)
JGoonberg
(23 posts)I know this area well. A nice home in a bad neighborhood. It is not a Pittsburgh suburb - it is a Pittsburgh inner city neighborhood. Once stable and middle class, many of the large old homes have been sliced into multiple unit run down low rent apartments. A thriving business district now looks like a third world city. Crime, violent crime is common when once it was unthinkable. A Home Depot is the only stable business in the area. Some gentrification has taken place on the borders, where creative entrepreneurs have produced interesting small restaurants, where chic Shadyside "expands" to abut slummy East Liberty.
They moved into the home in December 2013. In the short period they were there, the home was burglarized. And now this. Was the murdered related to the prior burglary, the home having been discovered to be occupied by two vulnerable women without a home security system? Did Susan Wolfe meet up with an "iffy" person when she left work Thursday evening for an appointment? Did these friendly, perhaps naive, women open their door to a stranger Thursday evening?
Susan Wolfe worked at a highly respected Jewish school, in a bustling neighborhood known for its excellent small shops and restaurants, and thriving Jewsh community. It was reported she had an appointment to meet someone after work Thursday evening, a little unusual, but not known if it was related. Sarah Wolfe worked at a psychiatric hospital in the Oakland area, home of the University of Pittsburgh, and several major hospitals and medical buildings, and worked with "kids." Unless Dr Wolfe worked with adolescents, it is unlikely the assailants came from this association.
Someone who knew the neighborhood did this crime, IMHO. The car was found abandoned in front of a branch of the public library in the business district of this bad neighborhood, where streets would have been deserted after dusk. Likely the local perp, who had arrived by foot or someone else's transport, drove the victim's car there to get away from the scene of the crime, and was met by a friend for transport or walked away. The library is near bars and clubs of dubious reputation, and near major roads connecting different areas of the city together.
The women were killed in the basement of the solidly built old house, likely to muffle the sound of gunfire. The house was largely concealed behind large shrubs, which would have made it a target for burglary. Neighbors reported that lights were on all night on all floors of the house, which they knew was unusual and raised their suspicions. Lights on all over the house would indicate a robbery had taken place, the women led through the house in a search for valuables. The perps would seem to have some experience with home invasion, so priors are likely.
I grew up around this area. After living away for a long time, I visited my childhood haunts recently, and was shocked at how the area had crumbled into a slum. A different kind of murder took place very near this house last year - at a Little League game at Barack Obama International Academy, a gunman, enraged over a Facebook quarrel, shot two people dead and wounded several more. A few months prior, a very young teenage boy was murdered at night in a drug-deal-gone-bad in another children's ball field, shot by another very young teenage boy. Shocking. Google has its Pittsburgh location on the other side of East Liberty, where the old Nabisco bakery was turned into a high end mall, an oasis in a slum wasteland. Recently made the news, when the nearby MacDonald's employee was found to be selling heroin at the drivethrough window. If you asked for a special toy in your Happy Meal, she would place packets of heroin in it. How the massive amounts of cash were being passed from cars to drivethrough window were not detected by MacDonald's management and security cameras is unclear.
No need to import anyone from Iowa to explain this crime. Violent local predators, some version of a home-invasion-gone-bad.
Judi Lynn
(160,530 posts)This is information most here would never know who've never been to the city, or read anything beyond short articles about the murders.
Welcome to D.U.
JGoonberg
(23 posts)I grew up near by. My family lived and worked in the area for many years. We passed this house a thousand times in daily travels. I went to school near by. I started following the story of this disturbing multiple homicide because I know the area.
The address is 701 Chislett Street, Pittsburgh 15206. In street view, Google Maps shows what I mean about how the house stands out because of the large shrub at the front, which obscures the view into the house. Safety 101 teaches us to not allow shrubs to overgrow, because criminals can use them to conceal their activity. At Google maps, you can see how the area has gotten a little "seedy." Coincidentally, in the photo posted 6/2011, a middle aged brunette is on the porch, and a red Ford Fiesta is parked outside, but I suppose this is the former resident who just happened to have the same model car.
The house was posted by a realtor, and I found it very easily. YIKES! Do criminals use the real estate sites to case houses?
You can see how nice a "Pittsburgh House" is. Look at the beautiful woodwork and the lovely stained glass. Pittsburgh never had any of the nation's "booms" so, except for the collapse of steel (which would have no connection to this neighborhood), there were no "busts." People move here because housing is affordable.
By car, it would have been a 15 minute drive to work for either woman.
mrmpa
(4,033 posts)I say Chislett Street is in Morningside, but the news keeps saying it's in East Liberty. Which is correct?
Stanton Avenue divides Morningside and East Liberty. (Chislett begins way over on Butler Street by the river).
701 Chislett is East Liberty.
The houses are similar. East Liberty has more rentals, and more high density apartment complexes, and has a major business district. Morningside is a little neighborhood.
mrmpa
(4,033 posts)I've always associated Chislett with Morningside. My uncle lived on Antietam St. in Morningside. You could see the Zoo from his 2nd floor windows. I like Morningside. It has been a relatively "safe" neighborhood as many police officers and firefighters have lived in that neighborhood. Pretty much criminals didn't want to burglarize the house next door to the home of the Chief of Police.
Morningside was a nice, stable residential neighborhood with a mixture of Germans, Irish, Italians, and minority of Jewish people. Working middle class - and yes, lots of cops! Used to have a block or so of solid local small businesses, by former Morningside Elementary. It is still an attractive area to live in.
I grew up by St Raphael's. Best memories involve hearing the noises of the zoo! Very cool your uncle had a view of the zoo!
mrmpa
(4,033 posts)My uncle and aunt were good people. if he were alive he would be turning 100 years old this year. He had the nicest mother-in-law, she was so funny. The year my uncle celebrated his 50th wedding anniversary, his son celebrated his 25th and his mother and father-in-law celebrated their 75th. My uncle and aunt lived on the 2nd floor of the house and his in-laws lived on the 1st, that's how I got to know his in-laws.
El_Johns
(1,805 posts)area?
JGoonberg
(23 posts)It used to be a beautiful area. The houses are incredible. In dribs and drabs, near there, lovely old houses were broken up into cheap rental units. A couple houses on that block are in excellent states of preservation, and literally next door, as in the Wolfe House, they can be slummy.
What "gentrification" that is taking place is on the other side of East Liberty, on the Shadyside side. A Whole Foods. A Starbucks. A Home Depot. A Target. On the other side of the neighborhood, Google put their Pittsburgh HQ, and a chic mall is there - though I don't comprehend how it survives.... These are huge leaps forward in the area, which was blighted after Urban Redevelopment. Some cool restaurants by creative young entrepreneurs. My personal impression though, is that it is a long way from showing signs of ceasing to decline, let alone improvement or "gentrification."
The house they bought is still on an online real estate site, so I got to view the interior. Beautiful state of preservation. The rich woodwork in these old houses makes you swoon, and craftsmen installed unique works of stained glass in many of the houses. Maybe the guy who bought it restored it.
I think 703 Chislett, where suspect lived, sold recently for $35,000, and is now worth $125,000.
El_Johns
(1,805 posts)JGoonberg
(23 posts)Went from farmlands/pastures in the 19th century (that's why it is called Liberty, because it was common grazing area). Some of the most prominent families in Pittsburgh, including the Mellons, had their origins here.
In the first half of this century, it had a beautiful, thriving business district. There were fine department stores, fine shoe stores, haberdashers, bakeries, fine grocers, a fine babies and childrens store, with EVERYTHING, fine meats, even luxury fur stores! Fine restaurants! The fine old library with its magnificent woodwork. The woodwork and hardware and stained glass in these old buildings was breathtaking. There were big parades on Easter and for Christmas - it was a destination. The most prominent building was the East Liberty Presbyterian Church - a skyscaping cathedral. (Most of the founders of Pittsburgh are Scots.) There were something like 4 major Jewish temples in the area - gorgeous, opulent. 3 gorgeous old fashioned theaters!
When the Civic Arena was built, it displaced a lot of people - mostly black - in the Hill District. There was a housing shortage! High density housing had to go up fast. Residential homes were torn down. Apartments, and public housing projects were erected. They did something crazy - they shut off the streets of the business district for cars! Pedestrians only. It killed the business district. Crime started. Violent crime. The old businesses left, replaced by this and that, or were boarded up. Sears was the last to go under, decades ago. No glass - everything has been bricked over. The wares of stores are the few fast food places are behind bullet proof plexiglass. (cries)
The high rise housing projects were a disaster for the folks that lived there, and were replaced by lovely bungalows in the 90s.
Much of old East Liberty is gone, but often the bones of the old buildings are there. They might house drug addict treatment centers, family crises centers, for a while - and then get picked up by an entrepreneur. Motor Square Gardens was an attempt - it is a breathtaking structure, and was a chic mall for creative small businesses for a while, but now houses DMV.
Home Depot is now in East Liberty, on the site of the old Sears store. Target opened by an old project. Google opened in the old Nabisco bakery. Way too early to know where this is going. Pittsburgh could have a Renaissance - I think the Wolfe Sisters saw that potential. They were part of it.
El_Johns
(1,805 posts)some of the figures I'm interested in are associated with Pittsburgh.
Avonlea
(6 posts)According to these articles Susan Wolfe took the bus to and from the school she worked at. There is a report that someone may have followed her off the bus. Another report mentions a homeless person she had befriended. Apparently Sarah Wolfe (the psychiatrist) arrived home 2 hours after her sister. Her body was found with her coat half on, while Susan's was naked.
Perhaps someone followed Susan home as she walked from the bus stop and forced her to let him in the house at gun point. That would explain why there was no sign of forced entry. Sarah may have walked in on the crime already in progress.
http://triblive.com/news/allegheny/5575456-74/sarah-sisters-wolfe#ixzz2t5FfYSJE
http://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2014/02/11/police-looking-for-man-seen-following-sister-off-of-bus-prior-to-double-murder/
JGoonberg
(23 posts)Susan Wolfe took the 71A, bus stop Negley and Black Street, about a block away from their house. Negley Ave is pretty "marginal" - high density rentals. She would have then boarded the 64 at Center and Negley, by the local Giant Eagle, and near Shadyside Hospital. Not a place to stroll.
She was a newcomer to the area. Lived in Chicago, worked with kids with behavior problems in Chicago Public Schools for a while, then returned to Iowa, and then in November to Pittsburgh. Private Orthodox Jewish School Hillel Academy must have seemed a serene oasis after CPS.
The sisters are said to have been driven to help others. Difficult to know how Susan could have met "homeless men" in the short period she lived in Pittsburgh - unless it was a guy on the bus. Perhaps Susan was compassionate to let one of the eccentrics on the bus talk to her. Perhaps in innocent conversation, she revealed too much about herself to someone who, though appearing "down on his luck" had a predatory instinct, and identified her as easy prey.
In other posts on this thread, I puzzled over where the stolen lime green Ford Fiesta had been abandoned - by the library, by the iconic fountain, by the skyscraping Presbyterian church. It's a landmark. Someone very familiar with the area would not need landmarks to navigate by - they would have just ditched the car in a side street.
My knowledge of the area is a bit outdated - I did not know that the East Liberty Presbyterian Church has a homeless shelter for men. Yikes - did the killer park the stolen car there because he was staying at the shelter? In the 10 degree temps of the night, a short walk would have been tempting. If there is a connection to the shelter, the killer will be caught very soon.
The gun, the cell phones - all easily concealed. Do they search guys who go into homeless shelters?
An early report told us that Susan declined to work late Thursday, saying she had an appointment. Is this significant?
Unclear, but it seems she had at least a casual acquaintance to the killer - a guy on the bus? Was she taking him home for dinner, as a kindness? Or did a guy follow her off the bus, and she not suspecting trouble, or wanting to risk offending him, not take precautions? Or did someone profile her as prey based on her appearance? Riders on the rush-hour bus will have noticed stuff.
Police say Susan was naked. They say she was stripped "to remove evidence" - which I assume would mean post-mortem. If so, what happened to all the bloody clothes she was wearing? If he removed her clothes after he killed her, he would be covered in blood. If they were off before he killed her, he would not be covered in blood. Dousing a body with bleach seems to be an attempt to destroy evidence - which, I assume, would be body fluids, which would suggest sexual assault. He might not have penetrated her....
Some time passed. An hour or more. What was the killer doing during this time? Why were the lights on on all floors of the house? The police say the sisters were not robbed. Did he wash himself? What was his plan for escape, if Sarah hadn't shown up with a car? Was he waiting for Sarah, knowing she had a car to steal? Her coat was half off, as though caught surprised. Her body was kicked down the stairs to the basement, according to reports.
When first reported, I thought this was a home-invasion-gone-wrong, but this seems to be darker and creepier. Serial killer? Maybe. But anything beyond "creepy predator on the bus route" seems far fetched (i.e. no connection to Sarah's work as psychiatrist with specialty in domestic abuse).
riversedge
(70,218 posts)....Sarah Wolfe was a UPMC pediatrician and psychiatrist who worked at Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic. Her sister worked as a teacher's aide at a school in Squirrel Hill.
Dr. Wolfe had been in Pittsburgh for several years, and the house was in her name. Online property records show that it was bought in December for $210,000. Susan Wolfe moved here from Iowa more recently.
The car, believed to belong to one of the women, was last seen around 9:25 p.m. Thursday.
"We believe, maybe, the perpetrator of this crime has that car," Lt. Daniel Herrmann said Friday.
Police found the sisters when they were summoned to check on the well-being of Susan Wolfe. They were let into the house by a friend of one of the women.
Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/local/city/2014/02/08/Pittsburgh-police-find-car-sought-in-slaying-of-two-sisters-in-E-Liberty/stories/201402080132#ixzz2smGTBPEL
JGoonberg
(23 posts)Susan Wolfe left her job at Hillel Day School in Squirrel Hill around 5pm, saying she was meeting someone.
Unclear which of the two sisters used the lime green Ford Fiesta that was missing. Their home is not easily acessible by public transportation from the workplace of either woman. Multiple buses would have to be taken, and a walk of about 3-4 blocks from the nearest stop. I would be scared to walk this distance in this neighborhood.... Too many muggings, burglaries, and rapes near by. Were these ladies unfamiliar with the bad reputation of the area? They could not have been blind to the blight around them, even if they didn't follow the news.
On street parking, so the car was seen by neighbors at 9:25 pm. The car was found abandoned 1:35 am in front of the local public library in the business district of the neighborhood, nearby as the crow flies, a crime ridden section which would have been deserted after dark. Obviously the local perp arrived by means other than vehicle, used the victim's car to get away from crime scene, and was met by a friend in another vehicle at a prominent local landmark, or escaped on foot. There are many large apartment complexes near by, including public housing developments - perp likely lives in the East Liberty/Garfield section of Pittsburgh.
shenmue
(38,506 posts)
Herself
(185 posts)Usually these people die of extreme old age... very comfortably.
red dog 1
(27,802 posts)Who's next?
Was anything stolen from the house besides a car?
femmocrat
(28,394 posts)Only that the car was found a few streets away from their house. Very weird.
lib87
(535 posts)I definitely agree with you. This is very odd.
femmocrat
(28,394 posts)But this morning, the locals reported that there is surveillance tape at a nearby library. The police are checking it.
JGoonberg
(23 posts)Dr Sarah Wolfe drove home to Chislett street from Western Psych in her lime green Ford Fiesta.
She walked into something unexpected, and was shot and kicked down the basement stairs, while she was trying to remove her coat on the 10 degree night.
The perp took the cell phones of both ladies, then took the keys to the car and left with it. The spot it was found in was less than a mile away from the cfime scene - a four minute drive, directly.
Perp seems to have arrived at the residence by bus, and by foot (just over a block). He had a gun with him, and seemingly a plan to kill. How he thought he would get away from the crime scene is unknown. By foot? By Bus? Did he know little sister was going to show up with a car?
Why abandon the car by the public library/homeless shelter on the 10 degree night?
JVS
(61,935 posts)WP is an easy commute from their house. Getting to Hillel would be a pain in the ass by bus.
She was a real trooper to schlep over there every day.
JGoonberg
(23 posts)The house of the victims is in a residential area of East Liberty, about 3 blocks from a major road that connects the residential area to the business district. The car was found abandoned in the blighted business district, near a prominent local landmark (library). It seems likely the perp(s) arrived at the victims' home on foot, and stole the victim's car to get away from the bloody crime scene, and was met by a friend with another vehicle in an area they were comfortable in and know well, or took off on foot. The area around the business district has high density rental housing. The car was abandoned there about 1:35 am.
Unless new-in-town Susan Wolfe met with someone "iffy" Thursday evening, it is unlikely her job has any relation to the crime. Dr Wolfe worked at the local psychiatric hospital; unless she counted young teenagers among her pediatric patients, it is unlikely her work is connected to the crime.
The house is a lovely, beautifully preserved nearly 100 yr old home in a bad neighborhood. Burglaries, muggings, shootings, drug deals, apartments invaded for rape occur all too frequently in the high density rental housing near by.
The house was unwisely well concealed behind heavy shubs, which made it an attractive target for burglars to work undisturbed and unnoticed. The home was broken into recently by burglars. Dr Wolfe sought advice about what to do, and was told to install a home security system. It is unknown at this time whether she had attempted to install one.
Any opportunistic creep operating in the area would have identified the home as vulnerable because of the heavy shrubs, and by casing might have known two women lived there. Perhaps this second crime is related to the prior burglary, where the perps identified the house as an easy target inhabited by two vulnerable women without a dog or a security system. Maybe they knew Dr Wolfe was a physician, and expected her to have drugs and lots of cash in the residence.
No sign of forced entry. Unless it was someone "iffy" they naively invited into their home, I am guessing that it is a local criminal with a long list of priors who gained entry to the home by ruse - i.e. got the women to open the door after knocking. The crime could have been accomplished by a single individual who terrorized the women with the firearm, but likely to be multiple perps. Perhaps a woman is among the perps, because naive women have less suspicion of crime when a woman is part of a criminal team, and more likely to open the door to strangers.
The perp(s) would have had to have gotten both women under control by threatening them with the firearm almost immediately after gaining entrance to the residence. Neighbors reported that lights were on on all floors of the house all night long, which suggests the perp(s) took them around the whole house in search of valuables.
In my view, an "In Cold Blood" type scenario by local career criminal perp(s) without connection to the victims.
femmocrat
(28,394 posts)Last edited Sun Feb 9, 2014, 09:42 PM - Edit history (1)
???
John1956PA
(2,654 posts)Good analysis. Here is the latest from the online edition of the Post-Gazette:
February 9, 2014 4:24 PM
By Karen Kane and Richard Webner / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Two sisters who were found dead Friday in their East Liberty home died of single gunshot wounds to the head, according to the Allegheny County medical examiner.
. . .
Meanwhile, Pittsburgh Police Major Crimes Lt. Daniel Herrmann said police are asking the public for information about anything that may have been seen or heard between the hours of 5 and 9 p.m. near the sisters' home or near where their car was discovered about a mile away. "We're asking anyone in the East Liberty area or Highland Park to call us if they can give us a piece of the puzzle. We're particularly interested in Thursday evening, say between 5 p.m. and 9 p.m.," he said. The telephone number for the homicide squad is 412-323-7161.
. . .
About 1:15 a.m. Saturday, Pittsburgh police learned that the lime green 2011 Ford Fiesta belonging to Sarah Wolfe was parked on South Whitfield Street between Penn Avenue and Baum Boulevard in Friendship, about a mile away from the sisters' home that was purchased in December.
“We believe the murderer took the car (from the house,)” said George Trosky, assistant chief of the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police.
Link: http://www.post-gazette.com/local/region/2014/02/09/Murdered-sisters-died-of-single-gunshot-wounds-to-the-head/stories/201402090179
Police revealed the cell phones of the victims were missing.
In the burglary in December, two televisions were stolen. The police believe they know who the thieves are. They do not think the burglary and the murders are related at this time.
Current attention is being given to a man who got off the bus stop at the same time as Susan Wolfe. The stop is about a block and a half from the house, about a 5 minute walk.
There is surveillance video from the bus, and also from the library and perhaps other businesses where the car was abandoned. I believe police have identified the man, and may be ready to apprehend him.
John1956PA
(2,654 posts)We all hope that the case is solved soon.
Skidmore
(37,364 posts)Last edited Sun Feb 9, 2014, 02:06 PM - Edit history (1)
Sarah was a coworker of mine for a period of 5 years on a project. I just called the project head to let her know about this article. What a sad loss for her family and all who knew and loved her. She was bright, talented, and such a warm and funny person. She loved children and worked so hard to get into med school.
We have lost some good young women with this tragedy.
femmocrat
(28,394 posts)
Sheldon Cooper
(3,724 posts)a man who got off the bus at the same stop as Susan Wolfe. This was captured on a security camera.
JGoonberg
(23 posts)Last edited Wed Feb 12, 2014, 11:34 PM - Edit history (1)
They have IDed the guy who was on the bus, and it looks as though things are in motion to apprehend him, thank heavens.
The info the police are releasing is cryptic. They say Susan had contact with homeless men. A man seems to have gotten off the bus (71A) at her stop, followed her, then possibly overpowered her. Maybe a guy who rode the same bus and knew her routine; perhaps she had spoken with him even if he was "iffy", as she was a warm and compassionate person, perhaps not wary enough, and he knew a little bit about her, enough to know she was vulnerable. She lived just over a block away from the bus stop - a couple minutes walk. It still would have been daylight on a cold night of about 12 degrees.
Susan declined staying at work that evening because she had an appointment. Coincidence, or not? Did he accompany her off the bus?
Susan was said to have been found naked, and bleach poured on her body. That sounds like aftermath of a sexual assault of some kind, with an attempt to destroy "genetic evidence. " The police said they thought she was stripped to get rid of evidence. Post-mortem? If so, he would have gotten a lot of blood on himself. Did he remove the clothes "evidence" from the residence? Or was she stripped prior to death, in which case, he would not have much blood on himself. Sometimes killers wash themselves in a residence, even carry a change of clothing.
A couple of hours passed between the initial assault of Susan, to when Sarah arrived home by car. Her coat was half off, as though she had been surprised. It sounds like she was shot and kicked down the stairs into the basement, where her sister's body was. Did he know she was coming home, and he would have access to a car, or does he live close enough by that he could have gone by foot, or by bus? Reports say single gunshot, close range, deliberate kill shot.
The killer was in the house for at least a couple of hours. Why? Lights were on on all three floors of the house, all night, neighbors reported. Police say he did not steal anything but cell phones. Why did he go all over the house?
He took the cell phones of both women, and stole the car. The car was abandoned in the business district by the library, a prominent landmark, by the iconic Fountain, by a Presbyterian Church that is the tallest building in the area, very prominent! If he went there directly, it would have been an easy 4 minute drive on main streets.Odd that he would park by a prominent landmark anyone in the region would be familiar with. Did he ask someone with a vehicle to meet him there via cell phone? If he was from that area, you'd think he'd leave the car any old place, not at a prominent landmark. (Something I did not know - there is a homeless shelter for men in the East Liberty Presbyterian Church right by where the car was parked - houses about 8 chronically homeless men with mental illness, and can house up to 32 men overnight as needed. If he was staying there, it would make sense to park nearby....)
Hard to know where he went after this, (if not to the homeless shelter). Roads lead into East Liberty, Friendship, Bloomfield, and Homewood. If he was not bloodied, he could have gotten on another bus.
Very disturbing, strange murder, that would be weird anywhere in the world. A element of planning and cold, ruthless execution, someone who has killed before.
At first, this horrific crime looked like "home-invasion-gone-wrong," but there is a level of perversity in these details that might indicate a psychotic killer. If he is not soon apprehended, he may have developed a level of comfort in his mode of operation that he will kill again.
Apart from knowing the area well, I have no special insight into this case. I am just trying to think through the details and understand what happened.
John1956PA
(2,654 posts)At first, I was dismissive of those who thought that there was some angle beyond a crime of opportunity. I thought that some burglar or robber (maybe in need of a fix) happened upon the premises without any pre-targeting or motive other than theft. Now that details of the crime have been reported in the press, I think that some other driving force was at work, but I do not want to speculate as to what.
Avonlea
(6 posts)Only it may be that someone followed her home from the bus stop rather than breaking in after she was home. I'm guessing it may be a mentally ill person with a long history of crime. These poor women might have been rather naive to think it was safe to take the bus in a neighborhood like that, much less to chat with strangers on the bus (if that is what happened.). What a shame her sister or parents didn't help her buy a car (assuming she couldn't buy one on her own, which may not be true). I wonder if anyone warned them not to make eye contact with strangers, etc. These unfortunate women seemed to be very good hearted and wanting to believe the best about people. Poor lambs...it is haunting to think about.
Edit to add: the mayor of East Libery just spoke about the crime but he gives no new information.
http://m.wtae.com/news/mayor-peduto-speaks-out-on-east-liberty-double-homicide/24471140
JGoonberg
(23 posts)Latest is that Susan was seen on the bus, seated with the "unidentifed male," and they were chatting and left the bus at the same time. I was told some local tv showed a grainy image from the bus, but I can't find it. No word on age of mystery man, body shape, race, clothing style.
She had told Hillel she couldn't stay late Thursday, because she had an appointment. Was it with this guy?
Police have said Susan had associations with "homeless men." Was it an eccentric character on the bus? (71A bus is notorious.) How else would a 44 yr old newcomer with a job at a private orthodox Jewish school come into contact with "homeless" people? The neighborhood in which the private school that employed her is located is fiercely residential, with no-nonsense businesses and customers.
(Oddly enough, the stolen car was deserted very near the homeless shelter for men in East Liberty.)
If Susan befriended an "iffy" person, it was, I speculate, because she was naive of evil, and he was clever enough to conceal his bad character in some manner. She wanted to believe the best about people - and encountered an experienced predator. As a newcomer - and maybe looking out of place on the bus - she may have revealed her vulnerability.
Given the details that have emerged, I agree with you that this is a mentally ill person with a (long) history of crime. Not a local - he's a drifter, but knows the buses and landmarks. Sounds sophisticated enough to be a serial killer - God forbid. I expect detectives are looking at other cities for similar MO. And these guys don't stop until they are caught.
He seems to have planned the assault and killing. How did he plan to flee the crime scene? Why did he remain at the crime scene for several hours? Pittsburgh women need to be cautious, and take your advice about keeping to themselves on public transport.
JGoonberg
(23 posts)What we know now, even though few details have been revealed, is way too creepy at this point, in every aspect.
I am alarmed that Pittsburgh may have a psycho serial killer operating here. I hope I am wrong.
Trouble is, if I am correct , he will be encouraged by his success at perpetrating undetected mayhem in the Wolfe home - and attack again.
We know very few details from police.
Avonlea gives good advice - keep your eyes lowered, do not engage people on public transportation. If you have the slightest suspicion you are being followed, draw attention to yourself, and don't worry about offending anyone with your suspicions!
Uncompromising CAUTION is our strongest weapon at this time.
(Years ago, I lived in a town where a serial killer wrecked havoc - details in this case seem eerrily familiar.)
John1956PA
(2,654 posts)From the WPXI website at
http://www.wpxi.com/news/news/local/sources-more-clues-uncovered-mysterious-deaths-eas/ndPF2/ :
WPXI>HOME> NEWS> LOCAL
Posted: 10:05 a.m. Friday, Feb. 14, 2014
Sources: more clues uncovered in mysterious deaths of East Liberty sisters
PITTSBURGH — Target 11 investigator Rick Earle reported that new clues have been revealed in the mysterious deaths of two East Liberty sisters.
Sources told Earle that police found a pair of gray sweatpants with a business card in the pocket next to the sisters’ stolen car.
The car was stolen from the sisters’ home on Chislett Street last week. Dr. Sarah Wolfe and her sister Susan were found shot to death in the basement of their home last Friday.
. . .
Avonlea
(6 posts)Last edited Sat Feb 15, 2014, 12:55 AM - Edit history (1)
...at least not that I can discover on the Internet. Here is another quote from the article John1956PA linked to:
So far, that man has not been identified.
If the police haven't identified the man I wonder why they don't release the surveillance videos from the bus.
Judi Lynn
(160,530 posts)This should be a great year for politics, with any luck.
John1956PA
(2,654 posts)The newspaper story shows two photos of a man on the same bus which one of the victims rode. The article reads in part:
Police do not consider the man a suspect "but merely a witness that could provide homicide detectives with essential information relevant to this investigation," Major Crimes Lt. Daniel Herrmann said in a news release.
. . .
Avonlea
(6 posts)Well it is a picture, though grainy and black and white. It is something. It is strange that a few days ago they were saying they had a video of a suspect, and now they are saying he is just a witness and not a suspect. Could it be they don't want to scare him off?
I hope someone recognizes him.
Judi Lynn
(160,530 posts)John1956PA
(2,654 posts)Pittsburgh police say they have identified man who rode a bus with slain Wolfe sister
February 18, 2014 12:01 PM
Liz Navratil / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Pittsburgh police this morning said they have identified a man who rode the bus with one of two sisters killed earlier this month in East Liberty.
Monday evening, police released video of a man who rode a Port Authority bus with Susan Wolfe the night before she and her sister, Sarah Wolfe, were found shot to death inside their Chislett Street home Feb. 7 in a double slaying that has unnerved some area residents.
The release -- at least a week after police obtained the video -- provided the first glimpses the bureau has offered into detectives' attempts to find the killer. Police have released little information about the investigation.
Police do not consider the man in the video a suspect, "but merely a witness that could provide homicide detectives with essential information relevant to this investigation," according to a news release from major crimes Lt. Daniel Herrmann.
A source familiar with the investigation said police used a Port Authority ConnectCard belonging to one of the sisters to focus on video from a particular bus at a specific time and that the video contains images of the man and woman, presumably Susan, together both on and off the bus.
John1956PA
(2,654 posts)From the WPXI website:
Police: Witness sought in deaths of East Liberty sisters ID’d
11:51 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2014
PITTSBURGH — A witness sought by Pittsburgh police in relation to the mysterious deaths of two East Liberty sisters has been identified and is being quesitoned by detectives Tuesday.
. . .
More at http://www.wpxi.com/news/news/local/police-1-2-sisters-shot-death-east-liberty-doused-/ndKTB/
John1956PA
(2,654 posts)From the WTAE website:
Police interview witness in East Liberty double homicide investigation
. . .
"The witness called us after he realized we needed to speak with him. He was very cooperative during the interview and he left," said Lt. Dan Hermann.
. . .
More at: http://www.wtae.com/news/local/allegheny/police-seek-witness-wearing-steelers-coat-in-east-liberty-double-homicide/24526762#ixzz2titpSsJn
Avonlea
(6 posts)Looks as if the guy from the bus is not the perp. It is beginning to seem as if the murderer may never be caught. Maybe it was some random person that saw her walking from the bus and followed her with the idea of mugging her.
John1956PA
(2,654 posts)WPXI is reporting.
Police say they have solid suspect in murder of East Liberty sisters
Updated: 5:26 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2014
. . .
On Wednesday, police said the suspect was being questioned. Sources said the person knew both sisters.
Police said they found one of the sister’s sweatpants on the man. They also said the man was caught on surveillance video at a Sunoco, throwing something away. Police said when they looked in the garbage can, they found an Iowa representative pen. The women’s sister is in politics in Iowa.
. . .
More at http://www.wpxi.com/news/news/local/father-east-liberty-sisters-investigators/ndSq2/
JGoonberg
(23 posts)Sounds like they have the guy! ID was made from printing out image from gas station CCTV, where the suspect was seen dumping garbage bags into the garbage can. Police recovered the garbage, and found items from inside the Wolfe Sisters home - like the distinctive pen you mentioned!
Patrol officers found him walking around East Liberty this morning - Penn Circle - stopped him, and IDed him. Detectives sought him hours later, again, found him walking at 3:30, (not sure if Chislett St or Penn Circle), and gave him a drive downtown for a talk.
He has priors for robbery and burglary. He admits to knowing both sisters.
Odd detail - several sources say they found a pair of sweatpants belonging to one of the Wolfe Sisters "on him." Does that mean he was wearing them, or carrying them around today, 12 days after the murder? That's so crazy. A pair of sweat pants was recovered from the stolen car - the ones he wore to the Wolfe home, presumably, and stole a pair of pants from them. Yikes - are the pants a "trophy" of the killing? That would really peg this guy to be a psycho. It also indicates he is not a large man, if he can fit into "medium" ladies sweat pants.
He lives right next door - 703 Chislett - in one of 3 rental units there. It is a run down property worth less than half of the Wolfe Sisters home.
Police still say no forced entry. Either Susan let him in, or he overpowered her at the door. The amount of force used against her shows out of control rage, not typical for a robbery. Probably hates women. He took only both cell phones belonging to the sisters. The violent attack itself seems to be the primary object of the perp. The sisters were so sweet and generous - they would have given him anything he needed - so it seems unlikely he had a grievance with them of any kind. He is a violent man, full of anger, acting out on them, or perhaps because of a psychological association he has that puts them in his mind as a target of violent rage.
Two large tvs were stolen in Dec while sisters were celebrating one of their birthdays. He, or someone, seems to have had to know they were gone for a period of time, and used the opportunity to break into the house. The burglary was not solved. Perhaps he took the tvs - not far to carry next door.
Sounds like this is the guy, and they have enough to charge him. A dangerous predator, perhaps capable of killing like this again, is off the streets due to good detective work. Who knows? Maybe they can tie him into other unsolved crimes (burglaries, perhaps sexual assaults) in the area.
Hopefully, this is the guy, and announcement of an arrest is next.
Avonlea
(6 posts)Thank goodness the police have a suspect. Weird about those sweatpants. Maybe the suspect is batsht crazy as well as being a violent killer. He wasn't very smart to dispose of evidence at a place that had security cameras.
Edit to add:
Here is another news report. This one says the suspect is 43 years old and lived with a girlfriend the same age. They lived on the first floor of the house.
http://www.post-gazette.com/local/region/2014/02/19/Pittsburgh-police-questioning-a-man-in-sisters-killings/stories/201402190178
JGoonberg
(23 posts)Either scenario - that he was WEARING their pants, or carrying them around, is psycho killer kinda stuff. Details like this made this murder of intense interest to police. I think detectives knew a psycho killer was at large, hence the attention this case got. They had to find this guy and stop him before he killed again. With great detective work, and luck, they caught him before he learned from experience and refined his MO.
Lucy has alotta splainin' to do, why he was tossing an Iowa State Rep ofc pen in the trash, and was wearing (?) pants he stole from the house.
Very scary predator is gone from the streets of Pittsburgh tonight.
Quantess
(27,630 posts)I'll read it when I have more time.
JGoonberg
(23 posts)Police let him go at 3am. Probably keeping a close eye on him while they process the crime scene.
John1956PA
(2,654 posts)Man interviewed by Pittsburgh police in Wolfe sisters' slayings still is person of interest
February 20, 2014 4:19 PM
Pittsburgh police said this afternoon that they consider the man they detained for several hours Wednesday night a "person of interest" in the deaths of two East Liberty sisters found shot inside their homes earlier this month.
The 43-year-old man, whose name police have not publicly released, lives next door to the Chislett Street home where Sarah and Susan Wolfe lived and were found shot to death Feb. 7.
Major Crimes Lt. Daniel Herrmann said in a news release that the man agreed to an interview with homicide detectives Wednesday. Detectives took him to the bureau's North Side headquarters, and he left about 3 a.m. today without commenting to reporters.
While one set of detectives interviewed the man, others searched his his apartment and the basement in the building at 703 Chislett Street.
. . .
More at http://www.post-gazette.com/local/city/2014/02/20/Man-interviewed-by-Pittsburgh-police-in-sisters-slayings-still-is-person-of-interest/stories/201402200283
JGoonberg
(23 posts)Last edited Fri Feb 21, 2014, 11:37 PM - Edit history (1)
The POI is in his 40s - a bit older that usual for this kind of crime.
I don't have a way to post image of Someone Who fits the Timeline from CCTV of gas station and image of POI emerging from police question, but IMHO, they look a lot alike- 40s, facial hair, glasses. (Please take my word for this....) No cane in store.
He was walking with cane when picked up by police.
If he was in hospital the day of the killing - he is out.
POI claims never been inside the Wolfe home.
People lie. I read the opposite in news accounts.
Not sure when his last offense was, but police were not able to hold him on outstanding warrants.
This isn't the first time Pgh police have released a POI until they gathered more evidence. Cornered POI will lie like crazy! Oh, the fantastic tales they tell, ever changing them when detectives challenge details. Ha ha - they think they are smarter than detectives, that detectives are nice guys who believe their sincere stories. They do not comprehend that detectives work to verify, or prove false, their claims, with corroborating evidence.
EmilyAnne
(2,769 posts)This is all so sad and scary.
We've been on edge since the murders, then yesterday there were helicopters hovering all afternoon.
Walked to the end of the street and saw all the police and news vans.
I have to say that I go past the house where Sarah and Susan live almost everyday and it seemed surprisingly unsecured in the week and a half after the murders.
Can you tell me what you mean when you say "they lied like crazy?"
Are you referring to the person of interest and his girlfriend or the investigators?
Thanks so much.
JGoonberg
(23 posts)Sorry - I missed that I used the past tense. I was speaking generally. For example, a suspect will be picked up, and questioned by police. The suspect comes up with amazing stories i.e. lies, to explain how they could not possibly have done it. I guess its worth a try, but curiously, despite all the great cop shows on tv, they think the police will believe them, and its all over. They do not realize they might be caught on camera doing the deed, or unimpeachable witnesses have given evidence, or their dna is there, etc etc etc. They keep changing the story. The detectives let them talk. The suspects make up all kinds of stuff, hoping that they will hit on a lie that will work. It seems to be a talent that has gotten them through life up to then.
The suspect said he did not know the Wolfe sisters. He said he was never in their house. His girlfriend, who may know nothing of the crime, and who didn't get a chance to talk with him befor the arrest to get their stories in order, had already told police he was on friendly terms with the Wolfe Sisters, had in fact been in the house, helped them move furniture, and helped them take groceries in the house.
I posted photos above. Not great, but, imho, looks like the same guy. The timeline fits. Was he buying cigarettes? (he is a smoker). No cane in the photo.
Friend of girlfriend was shown the surveillance photos, and says it isn't him. (Aw come on! His separated-at-birth twin shows up in the timeline of a killing, at a gas station that coincidentally had items from the Wolfe home in the garbage?)
Maybe he hid his darkest side to people who knew him - but he does have a record.
Unless hospital records show he was in the hospital that fateful Thursday night, he is POI.
EmilyAnne - I am sorry for you and your neighbors. It must be terrifying. I'm shaken just because I know the neighborhood from the past. I have some experience with this kind of terror. I was in Gainesville at the time The Gainesville Ripper was killing - first two victims were across the parking lot from where I was living, and every victim within a mile radius of my home. Boy, were we scared. He killed 5 people in about a week - horrific mutilations, real Jack The Ripper stuff, maybe even sicker than JtR. For various reasons, I was close to the case. I knew more than most. The police did not release any details. We didn't know if he broke into residences (he did) or was let in, but everyone knew many of the gruesome details I will not provide here. A long list of suspects came up, faces published in the paper. Profilers were brought in to prognosticate. Everyone was scared of everyone else. The killer (Danny Rolling) pleaded guilty, so there was no trial. Reading a book that provided an account of what happened was very interesting.
I am sorry to say one of the reasons of my interest in this case are a few similarities with the murders in Gainesville. Based on the little information the police have released, certain details are eerily similar to the crimes in Gainesville - a psycho killer crime. As these types of murderers kill again and again, and when they are not apprehended, get confident in their MO and refine it, it is critical the police get this perp.
White women, nice looking, with friendly personalities, and chin length dark hair seem to be the target of the killer's rage (imho). I am speculating, of course. But based on what I have knowledge of so far, which is all public info, I bet its a psycho killer. We can only hope they caught him quickly.
Take care, my dear. I feel for you and your friends and neighbors. Until this is solved, I strongly recommend extreme caution.
EmilyAnne
(2,769 posts)Its on my way to pretty much anywhere I go. There was an officer parked in front of the house each time. I assume they see him as a flight risk, especially now that it is certain he will move because of the eviction.
My hunch is this guy is just not very smart and the police trust that he will trip up in some big, dumb way while free, thus making their case even stronger.
I hope this is true. I mean, the cane thing? I saw a video of this dude and it looked so ridiculous. Seemed very obvious that he doesn't need that cane. I wouldn't be surprised if he started using it the day after the murders, thinking it would be good cover. Just speculation, of course.
As for me, I have a really nice security system that I had slacked off with. I'm using it religiously.
I actually live just on the Highland Park side. This neighborhood has supposedly had its renaissance. Gorgeous Victorian homes, some great cafes, bakery, coffee shops and other businesses on Bryant Street right near our gorgeous park.
But, still, there was a drive-by shooting about six months ago just two blocks away, then a huge drug and weapons bust.
This city has been hit really hard with the heroin resurgence, btw, not that it has anything to do with this crime.
I don't walk down certain streets.
Its weird how things can change so much just street to street or even block to block.
This area on Chislett, however, has always seemed safe to me. This is definitely a different kind of crime for this area.
Thanks for all the information, btw!
JGoonberg
(23 posts)The guy who lived in the house 11years before Sarah Wolfe bought it said he was flabbergasted to learn what happened. He said he had no incidents and felt safe there.
The area varies from lovely well preserved houses to boarded up slums. Heroin is a problem, as you say. All down Negley ave, where houses were split up into cheap apartments are to be avoided. I think the pharmacy at Stanton &Negley was vandalized or broken intolast year, and there is often a gang of men, not teens, outside the inner city ministry on the corner.
We don't know how long POI lived there. He has some connection to Philadelphia. The prior from 2009 was in Pittsburgh.
My view is that while the communty was always at risk from his burglary and robbery, that there was something specifically about the wolfe sisters that triggered this maniacal attack. Certainly because they are women, who he regards as objects, secondly because they were sweet and kind, and therefore stupid in his eyes, and asking to be victimized; and perhaps something about their professions. Maybe their appearance - nice looking, middle aged, short brown hair. There is some reason to believe he has a violent nature, but pent up rage, against things real and imagined, exploded like a bomb that evening in a deliberately planned attack. He went with a plan to kill them.This type of killer blames the victims for "asking for it," of setting them off.
If my view is correct, he gained entry by knocking, perhaps being Susan's planned appointment. The attack was horrific and we still don't know many details. My view at present is that he waited for Sarah, if only to execute her and steal her car.
New idea about the Wolfe sisters sweatpants "on him." Susan may have been wearing them that evening. He did strip her naked, according to police. In any case, I wonder if they were a "trophy" of the killing. That is something characteric of a sexual sadist.
I bet he sold the cell phones in a day or two as they are a hot commodity. I think there is reason to suspect he committed the burglary in December when they were out celebrating a birthday. Maybe they told him of their plans. His girlfriend's Mom said he is a nice guy, making me wonder if he had talent for conning people. He knew what they had in their house. They trusted him because they are without guile, and perhaps naive.
He was, if I am correct, already focusing his psychological pathology on them as soon as they moved in. It took a month for him to incubate in his sick mind the notionto attack and kill them.
Stay safe. Be on "yellow alert" always. But, in my view, this crime is unusual. What people need to be cautious about in the area are burglaries, robberies, car jackings, and rape. There are unsolved rapes on Negley ave. Perps entered windows. There is also risk of finding onesself in the crossfire of a drug deal gone wrong, or less likely, something as stupid as a Facebook feud, as happened at the kiddie football game at Obama International Academy, which killed an innocent bystander.
A teen was shot and killed in Morningside Field last year in a drug deal gone bad. Sickening. That was very unusual, perhaps unique in the area. A young boy was stabbed on Chislett a few years back, again, very unusual. No details, due to his youth, and I think still unsolved.
John1956PA
(2,654 posts)East Liberty sisters killed: Police testing person of interest’s DNA
WPXI Feb. 21, 2014, 4:06 p.m.
PITTSBURGH — Police have put a rush on DNA testing in the case of two sisters killed in East Liberty.
Police are testing the person of interest’s DNA. They said they have his DNA on file from previous crimes.
. . .
Sources said the {man who is the person of interest} had a pair of sweatpants that belonged to one of the sisters. A neighbor also reportedly witnessed the man throwing a pen into a trash can.
Detectives said that pen had “Iowa State Rep” written on it, and the women’s sister is a state representative in Iowa.
. . .
More at http://www.wpxi.com/news/news/local/father-east-liberty-sisters-investigators/ndSq2/
JGoonberg
(23 posts)First is from the Sunoco Station the night of the murder. Second is from when he was released from police questioning
Looks like the same guy to me. Was he buying smokes? He's pointing behind the clerk. No sign of cane.
JGoonberg
(23 posts)I figured out his ID, which I will not reveal here. He has priors of burglary, robbery, intimidation of witnesses, and more. His last arrest was August 2013- barely 6 months ago. His DNA was already in the Database from a former charge.
(Robbery with a gun?)
I assume he did time, because mother of girlfriend said he was a nice guy who made some bad judgements in his youth (she considers 39 yrs old youth).
He and his girlfriend were evicted today. According to the lease, the landlord had the right to evict them without supplying a reason, and without notice.
What he told police is not consistent with what witnesses told police.
He denied knowing the Wolfe Sisters, and told police he had never been in their house. Girlfriend says he was friendly with them, helped move furniture, and carried groceries. Police now have to find corroborating evidence for one of these two conflicting stories.
John1956PA
(2,654 posts)From the WPXI Website:
11:54 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 27, 2014
PITTSBURGH — A man police have called a “person of interest” in the deaths of two East Liberty sisters earlier this month appeared in court Thursday on an unrelated matter.
. . .
“I am not a monster. My name will be cleared. I’m not worried one bit,” the man told {a WPXI reporter}.
. . .
Last week, the man voluntarily met with detectives and was questioned for an entire day.
Sources said the man was questioned because he was seen on surveillance video throwing a pen away that may have belonged to the Wolfe family.
. . .
More at http://www.wpxi.com/news/news/man-questioned-deaths-east-liberty-sisters-i-am-no/nd2d9/
John1956PA
(2,654 posts)EAST LIBERTY, Pa. — Pittsburgh Police went back to the former home of 44-year-old Susan Wolfe and her sister, 38-year-old Sarah Wolfe, Friday.
. . . four homicide detectives returned to the scene Friday on Chislett Street in East Liberty.
. . .
The activity comes one day after a person of interest in the investigation, a 43-year-old man who lives next door, spoke publicly and denied any involvement in the crime.
. . .
Investigators told Target 11 they are waiting for DNA test results that could come back any day.
More at http://www.wpxi.com/news/news/local/detectives-back-east-liberty-home-murdered-sisters/nd3cQ/
EmilyAnne
(2,769 posts)I wondered what was going on down there. I was hoping they were making an arrest.
The police have not been parked in front of the house for a few days now, so I think the person of interest/ next door neighbor may have already moved.
John1956PA
(2,654 posts)Beacool
(30,247 posts)Poor women, may they rest in peace.
John1956PA
(2,654 posts)The chance that the DNA matches that of Allen Wade, a 43-year-old convicted felon, is 6.06 trillion times more likely than a coincidental match to another person of the same race, Dr. Mark Perlin, chief scientific officer of Cybergenetics, wrote in a report.
That report was read and numerous surveillance videos were shown during a two-hour preliminary hearing at which District Judge Scott Schricker ordered Wade to stand trial in the deaths of Sarah and Susan Wolfe, who lived next door to Wade on Chislett Street.
. . .
More at the following link:
http://www.post-gazette.com/local/city/2014/04/04/Neighbor-held-for-trial-in-killings-of-two-sisters-in-East-Liberty/stories/201404040168
The two victims were sisters of Iowa State House Representative Mary Wolfe (D), Iowa House District 98.
bigworld
(1,807 posts)according to another article: http://www.post-gazette.com/local/city/2014/03/06/Homicide-suspect-has-history-of-crime-and-alleged-violence/stories/201403060217
But I hope they have more than just his DNA. I'm sure they could find my neighbor's DNA all over my house as well.
TorchTheWitch
(11,065 posts)John1956PA
(2,654 posts)From The Pittsburgh Post Gazette website:
Suspect in Wolfe sisters killings to face death penalty
May 7, 2014 12:00 PM
The Allegheny County District Attorney's office will seek the death penalty against a man accused of killing two East Liberty sisters in February.
Allen Wade, 43, faces a number of charges in the case, including two counts of criminal homicide. Notice of intent to seek capital punishment was filed today.
. . .
Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/local/city/2014/05/07/Suspect-in-Wolfe-sister-killings-to-face-death-penalty/stories/201405070176#ixzz3133yLR8I
Judi Lynn
(160,530 posts)The country needs to evolve beyond the death penalty. The suspect, if the case is proven, should be removed and imprisoned for the rest of his life. Clearly he's a person who can't live peacefully around anyone.
freshwest
(53,661 posts)The defendant has been convicted of another murder in any jurisdiction either before or at the time of the offense at issue.
http://www.post-gazette.com/local/city/2014/05/07/Suspect-in-Wolfe-sister-killings-to-face-death-penalty/stories/201405070176#ixzz3133yLR8I
I don't see any record of those last two in the articles I found. But I guess they have them.
In one article, he says he had nothing to do with it and his name will be cleared and those close to him say he was too physically ill to do it, and is being scapegoated:
http://www.post-gazette.com/local/city/2014/03/05/NHomicide-warrant-obtained-in-Wolfe-sisters-deaths-in-East-Liberty/stories/201403050181
Guess it will come out at the trial. If he had already been 'convicted of another murder,' he didn't get life for it. I doubt he will get it now.
Not my opinion one way of the other, just seems that murderers (it remains to be seen he did it) do not get life sentences that really do mean 'life.' So they will be out again, hopefully to kill no more.
John1956PA
(2,654 posts)Thanks for your post.
I, too, was wondering about the fourth and fifth factors which the DA has set forth to justify seeking the death penalty. Essentially, those two factors assert that the Defendant has been convicted of another first degree murder.
I am thinking that those two factors refer to the yet-to-be-proved murder of Susan Wolfe.
The DA is thinking that the jury will convict the Defendant of first degree murder regarding the deaths of both sisters. If that transpires, the DA will argue during the penalty phase that the Defendant should receive the death penalty with regard to the death of Sarah Wolf, who was the second to die.
Also, I have to add that, for all I know, perhaps the order of the victims' deaths is not relevant under the applicable provision of the Pennsylvania death penalty statute. Perhaps a defendant who is convicted of two first degree murder charges in a double killing can receive a death penalty sentence for each killing. What I am suggesting is that, perhaps, the first degree conviction with regard to the death of either victim constitutes the "convicted of another offense" factor with regard to the first degree murder conviction of the other.
EmilyAnne
(2,769 posts)That is where he was an informant in another murder case involving his cellmate.