Pittsburgh Pediatrician Fatally Stabbed by Intruder Claiming to Be God
- Idris Evans, a 46-year-old pediatric critical care physician and assistant professor, was fatally stabbed in his Edgewood, Pennsylvania home early Thursday morning, September 24, 2026.
- Police identified the suspect as 32-year-old Elijah Hemingway.
- Following the attack, Hemingway fled through a rear door and was tracked down by a police canine unit to a neighboring backyard, where he was found hiding with...
Dr. Idris Evans, a 46-year-old pediatric critical care physician and assistant professor, was fatally stabbed in his Edgewood, Pennsylvania home early Thursday morning, September 24, 2026. According to Allegheny County Police, an intruder broke into the residence through a back window just after 12:30 a.m. and attacked Dr. Evans and his wife in their third-floor bedroom while they slept.
Attack Details and Police Response
Police identified the suspect as 32-year-old Elijah Hemingway. Assistant Superintendent Victor Joseph described the bedroom as a violent and graphic scene with broken furniture and mirrors, noting that both victims suffered extensive defensive wounds on their hands from fighting back. During the assault, the suspect reportedly demanded car keys from Dr. Evans’ wife and made repeated utterances about God and identifying as God. Dr. Evans’ wife managed to yell for their children, aged 8 and 12, to flee the house. The children ran safely to a neighbor’s home and were physically unharmed. Dr. Evans’ wife, who sustained multiple stab wounds and ran to a neighboring home for help, was hospitalized in critical condition. Dr. Evans was transported to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Suspect Apprehension and Prior Court Records
Following the attack, Hemingway fled through a rear door and was tracked down by a police canine unit to a neighboring backyard, where he was found hiding with lacerations on his hands and transported to a hospital. Court records show Hemingway was out on nonmonetary bail following a July arrest in Allegheny County for burglary and theft, with a scheduled court hearing on October 1. Pennsylvania court records also indicate prior guilty verdicts for disorderly conduct and traffic-related offenses. Florida records also show Hemingway was arrested in March 2025 for domestic battery in Volusia County, and in April 2025 for punching, pushing, and kicking Volusia County Sheriff’s deputies at a Wells Fargo bank branch in Deltona, Florida. In the bank incident, deputies noted that Hemingway continually referred to himself as the Egyptian Pharaoh Tutankhamun. He pleaded no contest to three counts of battery on a law enforcement officer and resisting arrest, subsequently receiving a sentence of time served after being held involuntarily for mental health treatment until he was deemed competent to face charges.
Professional Legacy and Community Impact
Dr. Evans served as a pediatric critical care physician at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh and as co-Medical Director of the hospital’s Pediatric Transport Team, alongside his role as an assistant professor of critical care medicine at the University of Pittsburgh. Colleagues and families remembered him for his dedication to pediatric care. Dr. Hayley Hellstern, a fellow Pittsburgh pediatrician, told CNN affiliate KDKA that he saved so many lives and helped train hundreds of pediatricians, calling him a “true angel on Earth.” Casey LaValle, whose 16-month-old daughter Iris was treated by Dr. Evans while battling a neurodegenerative mitochondrial disease in August, told KDKA that the physician visited their daughter multiple times every day to manage her complex medical needs.
