Elijah Hemingway, the man accused of murdering a Pittsburgh doctor, had been arrested just two months earlier and released on non-monetary bail.
Hemingway, 32, was taken into custody in July on burglary and theft charges connected to a February break-in, according to court records. He was freed within hours and had appeared at three hearings before his next scheduled court date of October 1.
That freedom ended after he allegedly broke into the home of Dr. Idris Evans early last Thursday and attacked the pediatric critical care physician and his wife as they slept.
Police said the knife-wielding intruder appeared “psychotic” and was rambling about God and “being God” when he forced his way into the couple’s bedroom shortly after 12:30 a.m., according to court documents cited by WPXI.
The couple attempted to fight back. Evans’ wife, who survived the attack with severe wounds, told investigators her husband yelled “Elijah” during the assault, as if he recognized his attacker.
Hemingway later claimed he had been invited to the home, but officials found no evidence supporting that assertion and he could not explain to police how he had previously met the Evans family.
Their daughters, ages 8 and 12, fled to a neighbor’s home after their mother yelled for them to run.
“It was a very violent scene. The bedroom furniture broken, mirrors broken. It was a very graphic scene,” Assistant Superintendent Victor Joseph said.
A police K9 tracked Hemingway to a neighboring home, where he was found with lacerations on his hands and taken to a hospital.
He now faces charges including criminal homicide, aggravated assault, burglary and criminal trespass.
Evans was rushed to the hospital following the attack and pronounced dead.
He served as co-Medical Director of UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh’s Pediatric Transport Team and as an Assistant Professor of Critical Care Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh.
“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.
Hemingway is due back in court October 1 on the original burglary case.