A long-standing feud over loud snoring between two next-door neighbors in Philadelphia erupted in violence on Sunday, ending in one man's death.
The problem began at least 1-1/2 years ago, when one of the men, now 62-year-old Robert Wallace, allegedly began complaining that he could hear the other man's snoring every night from the other side of a shared wall. The "personal issues" continued, according to police, via AP News, so much so that they had called the police to intervene more than once.
Still annoyed all this time later, Wallace reportedly decided to barge into 55-year-old Christopher James Casey's home, uninvited, to complain some more. And that's when Casey — the snorer — snapped.
From AP News:
Wallace, 62, removed a screen from a window in Casey's home and opened the unlocked window as Casey was eating dinner Sunday, and after a verbal confrontation Casey stabbed him in the chest with a large, military-style knife, according to Upper Moreland Township Police and Montgomery County prosecutors.
Police said Casey told them Wallace had not been menacing him or threatening him when Casey stabbed him in the doorway of Casey's home. They had been having "personal issues" for the past year and a half — prompting several police calls — over Wallace's complaints about his snoring, Casey told investigators during an interview Sunday night at Abington Hospital.
After about 20 minutes of speaking through the window, Wallace appeared to calm down and wanted to shake hands and offered to help pay for nasal surgery to alleviate Casey's snoring, Casey told police, according to the affidavit. Casey unlocked his front door, holding a knife and stun gun under a blanket.
"Casey described Wallace as being very 'volatile' 'very strong,' 'he's angry' type of person," police wrote in the charging documents. "Casey said he did not believe Wallace's intention of 'try to work this out' and 'shake hands' and try 'to fix this situation' was genuine. As a result, Casey decided to 'surprise him' by stabbing Wallace with a knife."
Casey, charged with third-degree murder, is now in jail with his bail set at $1 million.
