Doctor Idris Evans was fatally stabbed in his bed by an intruder. What we know
A Pittsburgh pediatrician was fatally stabbed and his wife was seriously injured in their bed after midnight Thursday. Questions remain about the apprehended suspect’s potential motive and whether he knew the doctor.
Dr. Idris Evans, 46, and his wife tried to fight back after being stabbed in their home by a man, later identified as Elijah Hemingway, 32, as the mother screamed at their two young children to run, according to a criminal complaint. The suspect was then arrested in a nearby yard, police said.
Allegheny County police investigators are working to understand the motive behind the stabbing. Hemingway faces several charges, including criminal homicide, aggravated assault and burglary, according to police.
The suspect was brought to court Saturday evening, according to the court docket. He is being held without bail at the Allegheny County Jail. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for October 9.
Police announced Saturday that charges had also been filed against Hemingway in connection with a sexual assault that allegedly occurred the day before the double stabbing in a neighborhood minutes from the Evans home.
Here’s what we know.
Police believe Hemingway entered Evans’ house through a back window. He then went to the couple’s bedroom on the third floor, where he allegedly began stabbing them in their bed, according to Allegheny County police.
The couple began fighting back, according to the complaint, and Evans’ wife told their children, ages 8 and 12, to flee to a neighbor’s house, where they arrived unharmed. The wife, who received several stab wounds, ran to a neighbor’s house.
First responders found Evans on the bedroom floor, seriously injured, according to court documents. He was pronounced dead at the hospital.
Hemingway escaped through a back door and was later found by a police canine unit, allegedly hiding in a neighbor’s yard, according to police. Evans’ wife said Hemingway demanded her car keys, but it did not appear he attempted to take the vehicle, police said.
” data-fave-thumbnails=”{“big”: { “uri”: “https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/thumb-23017698-12394-157-thumb.jpg?c=16×9” }, “small”: { “uri”: “https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/thumb-23017698-12394-157-thumb.jpg?c=16×9″ } }” data-vr-video=”false” data-show-html=”“data-byline-html=”
“data-timestamp-html=”
” data-check-event-based-preview=”” data-is-vertical-video-embed=”false” data-network-id=”” data-publish-date=”2026-09-26T01:42:12.487Z” data-video-section=”us” data-canonical-url=”” data-branding-key=”” data-video-slug=”police-pittsburgh-pediatrician-stabbed” data-first-publish-slug=”police-pittsburgh-pediatrician-stabbed” data-video-tags=”” data-breakpoints=”{” video-resource–media-extra-large”:=”” 660}”=”” data-display-video-cover=”true” data-details=”” wp_automatic_readability=”6.3945945945946″>
Police found a Pittsburgh pediatrician suffering from multiple stab wounds, officials said.
Evans’ wife told police that Hemingway, during the attack, made several “statements about ‘God'” and said he was “God,” the complaint says.
Evans’ wife also said her husband addressed Hemingway as “Elijah” but she did not recognize him, according to the complaint. She said she wasn’t sure if Hemingway had identified himself before her husband said his name, Allegheny County Police Deputy Superintendent Victor Joseph said.
Evans’ wife, who has not been identified by authorities, “remains hospitalized in stable condition,” police said Saturday.
During their investigation into the stabbings, Allegheny County detectives were contacted by Wilkinsburg Borough Police about a sexual assault reported Wednesday morning.
A victim told investigators she was walking toward an alley when she was sexually assaulted by a stranger, police said Saturday.
Investigators said they found several items linking Hemingway to the alleged sexual assault, as well as the victim’s cell phone that was allegedly stolen.
Hemingway now faces multiple charges, including rape, sexual assault and theft, police said.
Hemingway has faced several criminal charges in Allegheny County since 2016, according to Pennsylvania court records. In July, he was arrested for burglary and theft and was released on non-monetary bail. He will be heard in court on October 1.
He was also arrested last year on battery charges in two separate incidents in Florida.
In March 2025, he was arrested for domestic battery after arguing with his ex-girlfriend with whom he lived in Deltona, Florida, according to a police affidavit. Hemingway pleaded no contest, according to court records, but it’s unclear what the outcome was.
The following month, he punched, shoved and kicked Volusia County sheriff’s deputies at a Wells Fargo bank branch, also in Deltona, Fla., after Hemingway yelled at bank employees, according to a police affidavit. One deputy said Hemingway continually presented himself as the Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamun, according to the affidavit.
He pleaded no contest to three counts of battery on a law enforcement officer and resisting arrest, the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office said. He was sentenced to prison because he was involuntarily held for mental health treatment until he was deemed competent to face criminal charges, the sheriff’s office said.
In Allegheny County, he has previous convictions for disturbing the peace and traffic violations, according to court records.
Evans was a pediatric critical care physician at Children’s Hospital at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and an assistant professor of critical care medicine at the university, the medical center said.
Colleagues remembered Evans as a compassionate doctor toward his patients who trained other pediatricians.
“He treated so many children and saved so many lives, and he also helped train hundreds of pediatricians over the course of his career,” Dr. Hayley Hellstern, a fellow Pittsburgh pediatrician, told CNN affiliate KDKA, calling Evans “a true angel on Earth.”
A family who lost their 16-month-old daughter Iris in August remembered Evans as a primary care doctor who saw her several times a day as she dealt with neurodegenerative mitochondrial disease. He helped the family understand Iris’ complex medical needs, the father, Casey LaValle, told KDKA.
He said he found comfort knowing Evans was now with Iris.
Gn headline
