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A Philadelphia man has been jailed for stabbing his neighbor to death in a dispute over loud snoring.
Christopher Casey, 55, of Hatboro was sentenced in Montgomery County Court to 11-and-a-half to 23 months in prison followed by three years probation after he pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter and possession of an instrument of crime.
Back on January 15, Upper Moreland Township Police responded to a 911 call made by Casey about a stabbing in his home.
Officers arrived to find the victim Robert Wallace, 62, about 50 feet from Casey’s residence suffering from multiple stab wounds.
Casey also had a stab wound to his right thigh.
Both men were transported to Abington Hospital, where Wallace was pronounced dead an hour later.
Prior to the incident, both men were already known to police as they were embroiled in an ongoing argument over Casey’s loud snoring, which Wallace could hear through the shared wall between their two residences.
According to investigators, Wallace had removed a window screen to confront Casey about his snoring while he was eating dinner.
The pair got into an argument and Wallace threatened to kill Casey, police said.
Casey then stabbed Wallace several times with “a large military-style knife”.
According to an affidavit, obtained by 6ABC, Casey told police that Wallace appeared to calm down after about 20 minutes of speaking through the window – and that he was willing to shake his hand and even offered to help Casey pay for nasal surgery.
However, Casey remained suspicious and so decided to surprise Wallace by stabbing him with the knife, he told police.
Investigators said that Casey’s leg wound was a self-inflicted, accidental stab wound.
Police recovered the knife and a cellphone from the front porch of Casey’s home, while blood was found both inside and outside of the residence.
Casey was initially arrested on 18 January for third-degree murder, voluntary manslaughter and possessing an instrument of crime, with bail set at $1m cash.
Wallace’s family members claim he had been unable to sleep because of Casey’s snoring, with the tiredness taking its toll on Wallace’s life and ability to work.
Meanwhile, the defense claimed Casey’s life had been threatened numerous times before that day, calling him “a really good man who was not equipped to deal with this type of this sustained abuse and threats.”
Casey apologized to his victim’s family members in court, saying the argument that resulted in Wallace’s death was “unfortunate.”
