Christopher Casey: Loud snorer fatally stabs neighbor who offered to pay for his nasal surgery

HATBORO, PENNSYLVANIA: A man who received constant complaints for snoring loudly and disturbing the neighborhood was charged with murder, after allegedly stabbing a neighbor who confronted him over it, reports The Independent. 

Christopher Casey, 55, of Hatboro, Pennsylvania, was arrested and charged with third-degree murder over the death of Robert Wallace, 62, on Sunday, January 14 evening when an argument over the snoring turned deadly, according to the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office.

What happened to Robert Wallace?

Wallace showed up at Casey’s residence in Hatboro which is about 20 miles north of Philadelphia, while Casey was eating dinner, he pulled out a screen and unlocked a window on Casey’s porch before the two began yelling at each other.

Prosecutors claimed that as the heated debate got more intense, Casey repeatedly stabbed Wallace in the chest with a big, military-style knife.

After being discovered unconscious on the ground 50 feet from his residence, Wallace was brought to Abington Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

According to the prosecution, Casey also suffered from a self-inflicted stab wound to his right thigh, for which he was treated at the same hospital.

Casey told police at the hospital that Wallace had not been threatening him when he stabbed him in the doorway, but revealed the two had been having “personal issues” for the past 18 months, which thereby prompted numerous police calls over Wallace’s complaints about his snoring, WPVI reported.

Both the men were already known to police for their ongoing arguments which included arguments about the defendant’s loud snoring, which the victim could hear through the shared wall of the two residences,” prosecutors said, reports The New York Post.

Robert Wallace wanted to fix the situation

According to an affidavit obtained by the Post, Casey told police that Wallace seemed to calm down after about 20 minutes of speaking through the window, wanted to shake hands, and even offered to help pay for nasal surgery to help with his snoring. Casey, though, didn't think so.

“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,” police wrote in the affidavit.

“As a result, Casey decided to ‘surprise him’ by stabbing Wallace with a knife.” Wallace "broke my window," he informed emergency dispatchers over the phone, according to an affidavit from the police. "I made a move against my neighbor. He arrived to harm me," he told 911. 

Police reported finding blood on the yard and inside the house, as well as a broken window screen and an open window.

Casey was charged with third-degree murder, voluntary manslaughter and possessing instruments of a crime, prosecutors said.

He remains incarcerated with bail set at $1 million. Additionally, he is scheduled to appear in court for a preliminary hearing on January 29.