Pa. man accused of beating his 85-year-old wife to death over vet bills for their cat
11/30/2023 12:31 pm PST
LOWER POTTSGROVE TOWNSHIP, Pa. (TCD) -- An 84-year-old man stands accused of fatally beating his 85-year-old wife during an argument about money for their cat’s veterinarian bills.
According to Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele, on Tuesday, Nov. 28, shortly after 2:20 p.m., Barton Seltmann called the Lower Pottsgrove Township Police Department and reported an unresponsive female. Seltmann told dispatchers he thought his wife was dead and that someone had beaten her, WCAU-TV reports.
Seltmann allegedly told police that his kitchen had been ransacked, and his wife sustained a head bleed. Officers subsequently responded to the home on North Keim Road, where they found Seltmann on the porch with "blood on his hands, face, and clothing," Steele said.
Inside the kitchen, police reportedly found Seltmann’s wife, Margaret Seltmann, dead with apparent head injuries. According to WCAU, investigators recovered a kitchen knife under the victim’s body, and they found pieces of glass from a candle jar.
Barton Seltmann was transported to Pottstown Hospital to treat a hand injury.
Lower Pottsgrove Police and Montgomery County detectives concluded that Margaret and Barton Seltmann were allegedly "arguing about money for veterinary care of their cat when the fight turned physical."
Barton Seltmann reportedly told investigators that during the dispute, his wife grabbed a knife and threatened to hurt him, so he pushed the legs of a chair into her. According to Steele, investigators found evidence suggesting that the suspect struck the victim multiple times in the head while she was on the kitchen floor.
Seltmann allegedly punched his wife in the head repeatedly even though he said he did not see a knife in her hand while she was on the ground. He reportedly took a candleholder and used it to hit her.
According to the affidavit obtained by WCAU, Seltmann told investigators his wife said, "You’re killing me," and then she "went to sleep."
A forensic pathologist determined that the victim died of blunt force injuries and ruled her death a homicide.
Barton Seltmann was arraigned on charges of first-degree murder and third-degree murder. He remains held in the Montgomery County Correctional Facility without bail.
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