Montco Man Pleads Guilty In 'Snoring' Killing

EASTERN MONTGOMERY COUNTY, PA —A Montgomery County man has pleaded guilty to killing his neighbor over complaints about his snoring, authorities said.

Christopher Casey, 56, who lives in the Hatboro section of Upper Moreland Township, had been charged by the Montgomery County District Attorney's Office with third-degree murder and voluntary manslaughter and a misdemeanor charge of possessing an instrument of a crime in the stabbing death of Robert Wallace.

Casey was sentenced in Montgomery County Court in Norristown to 11.5 to 23 months in county jail followed by three years' probation after pleading guilty to the manslaughter charge and possession of an instrument of crime, court records state.

Casey apologized to Wallace's family in court, calling the fatal argument "unfortunate," Action News 6 reported.

He had appeared in Jenkintown Borough Court in March for his preliminary hearing.

The stabbing took place in Casey's home within the 300 block of Fitch Road, in the Hatboro section of Upper Moreland Township.

The two were known to police due to "ongoing arguments," the District Attorney's Office said at the time of the crime.

The bedrooms of the two homes have a shared wall and Wallace, who lived with his elderly mother, had complained about Casey's snoring at night, according to court documents.

Casey’s attorney, James Lyons, claims his client had been diagnosed with developmental disabilities including autism spectrum disorder, and that Casey was genuinely afraid of Wallace.

Casey called 911 at 6:34 p.m. on Sunday and said he stabbed Wallace after Wallace broke his window, saying, "I attacked my neighbor. He came to attack me," according to court documents.

Responding Upper Moreland Township Police officers found Wallace with stab wounds in his chest, about 50 feet from the home near the intersection of Winner and Fitch roads, officials said. First responders transported him to Abington Hospital for emergency surgery, and a doctor pronounced him dead.

Officers also found "a large, military-style knife" and a cell phone on Casey's front porch, and noticed a window screen was removed and lying in the grass, with the window next to the front door open.

Officers interviewed Casey on Sunday evening at the hospital, where he told police that his snoring had been a source of contention with Wallace for about a year and a half.

Casey said that on the evening of the stabbing, he was having dinner when Wallace knocked on his front window and yelled, "I'm gonna kill you," according to court documents.

According to Casey's testimony: Wallace ripped off the screen and then opened the unlocked window. The two talked for about 20 minutes through the window, and Wallace had "settled down a little bit."

Wallace did not try to get in the house, but "was leaning in" and wanted to shake hands with him, and also offered Casey financial help "with expenses associated with a corrective nose surgery designed to eliminate snoring."

Casey said he unlocked his front door, but retrieved a large knife and a taser which were sitting on his recliner, court papers show.

"Casey explained he also grabbed a blue colored blanket and used it to cover the knife and taser in an effort to conceal the weapons from Wallace's sight," police wrote in an affidavit of probable cause.

"Casey further explained he hid the weapons from Wallace's sight because Casey wanted to "surprise him (Wallace).'"

At the front door, Casey said he greeted Wallace and then stabbed him in the chest, while Wallace was in the threshold. He admitted to stabbing Wallace three or four times, then accidentally stabbing himself.

Casey further told police that he did not believe Wallace's intent to "try to work this out," and described him as being "angry" and "volatile." He admitted that Wallace was not directly threatening him and did not demonstrate menacing behavior, and said he concealed the knife because he wanted to "surprise him," court records stated.