An 84-year-old man was charged with killing his 85-year-old wife Tuesday after the couple reportedly argued over their cat’s vet bills.
On Tuesday, Lower Pottsgrove Township police were called to the couple’s home for a “unresponsive” woman on the ground, the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office reported Wednesday, according to CBS News.
That’s when officers allegedly found Margaret Seltmann, 85, “obviously deceased” on the floor in the home she shared with her husband, Barton Seltmann, 84. The latter then had blood on his face, hands and clothes.
According to what the octogenarian told investigators, it was a dispute over veterinary costs for the couple’s cat which allegedly climbed, at the time when the woman grabbed a knife and threatened her partner to kill him.
He then allegedly responded by pushing a chair at his wife who fell to the ground – hitting her head in the process – before hitting her repeatedly with his fist and other objects, he said, according to the criminal complaint.
The autopsy, conducted by the Montgomery County Coroner’s Office, revealed that the octogenarian died of blunt force injuries, according to CBS News. Under her, the coroner also found a small kitchen knife as well as a broken candle pot, he added.
The suspect was transported to the hospital for a hand injury before being transferred to the Montgomery County Correctional Facility.
He faces charges of first and third degree murder, for which he will have to answer in court on December 5.
