Police investigating if suspect in Edgewood fatal attack knew UPMC Children’s doctor prior
EDGEWOOD, Pa. —
Investigators are working to determine whether the suspect in the stabbing of Dr. Idris Evans and his wife in Edgewood, Allegheny County, knew the victims.
Sandra Trappen, a neighbor of the Evans family, said she did not recognize the man accused of the attack.
“Didn’t ring a bell,” Trappen said. “Even detectives came to my front porch and showed me a photo, and it did not register with me at all.”
Several neighbors in the Edgewood community also said they had never seen the suspect, identified as 32-year-old Elijah Hemingway, before.
Hemingway was found by police in Trappen’s backyard and was later taken from the scene by ambulance.
“I can’t believe that my backyard is filled with police and dogs, and I was just getting ready to go to bed,” Trappen said. “It’s so much information coming from so many different directions.”
Trappen, a professor of criminology and sociology at Penn State Greater Allegheny, acknowledged the trauma that she and her neighbors are have experiences in the past few days, but said the focus remains on the family’s trauma and supporting them.
“My heart goes out to the family. I mean, that’s where our all our thoughts should be right now, is supporting this family and the two young boys. I mean, a terrible thing happened to their home. Whenever you have your sense of security pierced in that way, it’s just a horrible thing to try to get back to center ground,” Trappen said.
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Trappen said police found Hemingway lying near a large hole in her fence line.
“They talked to him, tried to get information from him, and then they explained to him that they were calling emergency services,” Trappen said. “This is where they strapped him to the gurney, and then they took him, exit out to the front of the property that way.”
Trappen later learned that Evans, a doctor at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, had been fatally stabbed and his wife severely injured. Police said Hemingway broke into the Evans’ home through an open window.
The couple’s two children, ages 8 and 12, were home at the time but managed to escape.
Read more: Suspect’s criminal history spanned two states before stabbing of UPMC doctor
According to the criminal complaint, Evans’ wife recalled hearing her husband call the suspect “Elijah,” as if he knew him, during the attack. However, she said she was not familiar with Hemingway.
A man who previously lived on Linden Avenue told Pittsburgh’s Action News 4 that he believed Hemingway was the same man who had tried to force entry into his home years ago and would go door to door offering yard work.
However, Edgewood Police Chief Sylvan Altieri said, “Several of our senior officers indicated that community members may have Mr. Hemingway confused with another individual who resembles him and is known to cut lawns in the neighborhood.”
A local lawn care service confirmed that Evans was a client but said they had no connection to or prior knowledge of Hemingway.
When interviewed by police, Hemingway was unable to provide any details about how he knew Evans, according to authorities.
Edgewood Police Chief Altieri also said the department, “conducted a query of our current Records Management System (RMS), which contains records dating back to 2023. That search revealed no record of Elijah Hemingway having any involvement with the Edgewood Police Department, including any involvement related to the burglaries referenced in your inquiry.”
He added that, “Additionally, we queried our previous records system, Visual Alert, which contains records dating back to 2005. That search likewise revealed no record of any involvement between Mr. Hemingway and the Edgewood Police Department.
Chief Altieri said a query was conducted through the National Crime Information Center (NCIC), and once again no records indicating prior interaction between Hemingway and the department.
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