A Philadelphia man has pleaded guilty to stabbing and killing his neighbor after the neighbor threatened him over his loud snoring.
Christopher Casey, 56, of Upper Morland, was sentenced in Montgomery County Court on Aug. 7 to 11.5 to 23 months in county jail followed by three years’ probation after pleading guilty to the manslaughter charge and possession of an instrument of crime, according to court documents.
Casey was originally charged with third-degree murder in the Jan. 14 death of 62-year-old Robert Wallace, who lived next-door in a duplex and with whom he shared a common wall.
Prosecutors said Casey stabbed Wallace after the other man pushed in his first-floor window and threatened to kill Casey over his snoring.
Relatives of the victim said he had been unable to sleep due to the noise, and his fatigue had affected his life and ability to work.
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Casey apologized to Wallace’s family in court, calling the killing “unfortunate.”
Casey’s attorney said his client’s life had been threatened multiple times.
“He was terrified of this guy, and he believed that he had no option,” defense attorney James Lyons said.
He called his client “a really good man who was not equipped to deal with this type of sustained abuse and threats.”
Casey will be freed after 8.5 months in jail and has only one month left behind bars, per reporting from the Philadelphia Inquirer.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.