Man Kills Wife After Argument About Cat's Vet Bill, Police Say

An 84-year-old man in Pennsylvania has been charged with murdering his wife following a dispute over their cat's vet bills.

Barton Seltmann called 911 after allegedly attacking his 85-year-old wife Margaret Seltmann in the middle of the afternoon on November 28.

Reporting that his wife was unresponsive, officers arrived at the home on the 1900 block of North Keim Street in Lower Pottsgrove Township to find Seltmann with blood on his hands, face and clothes. He was standing on the porch when they arrived, and his wife's body was found inside their home.

Investigators said the couple argued over paying for veterinary care regarding their cat when Margaret took a knife and threatened to kill her husband. According to an affidavit seen by WPVI-TV Philidelphia, Barton responded by using a chair to "push her down."

NBC Philadelphia reported that according to a probable cause affidavit, Barton first informed 911 operators that his wife was deceased and had been physically assaulted. While receiving medical attention at the scene, he told medics that he had harmed his wife. Police officers later discovered a kitchen knife beneath her body, along with fragments of glass from a shattered candle jar.

He also allegedly told officers that even after seeing the knife was no longer in his wife's hand, he continued to strike her using his fist and candleholder. "Evidence found on scene indicated that the victim was struck multiple times in the head while lying on the kitchen floor," the statement from the Office of the District Attorney of Montgomery County claims.

Confirming Margaret's death as homicide, forensic pathologist Dr. Julia de la Garza found she had died from blunt force trauma to the head during an autopsy, according to the police statement.

Member's of the family expressed their disbelief at the incident, but said Barton had been suffering from symptoms of dementia.

"There was no warning that this kind of thing could happen. None," Ron Seltmann told Action News. "This just tore us apart." He also said the couple had been married for more than 30 years and seemed to be happy, enjoying time with their family at the home Barton built himself.

"In the last five or six weeks, Margaret said he was suffering from dementia. He wasn't remembering things. Like if he went somewhere, he wasn't remembering where he was at and things, and she was concerned about it," sister-in-law Sandy Seltmann told the outlet.

Barton has been charged with first degree and third degree murder and remains in custody without bail in Montgomery County Correctional Facility. A preliminary hearing has been scheduled for December 5.

Newsweek has contacted the Office of the District Attorney of Montgomery County via a phone call for comment.