Philadelphia man jailed for fatal stabbing over snoring dispute

A Philadelphia resident admitted to fatally stabbing his neighbour after being threatened over his loud snoring.

Christopher Casey, 56, from Upper Morland, received a sentence of 11.5 to 23 months in Montgomery County Jail on 7 August, followed by three years of probation. He pleaded guilty to manslaughter and possession of a weapon, according to court records.

Casey initially faced charges of third-degree murder for the 14 January death of Robert Wallace, 62, who lived in the adjoining unit of their duplex.

Prosecutors stated that Casey fatally stabbed Wallace after Wallace broke Casey’s ground-floor window and threatened to kill him due to his snoring.

Family members of the deceased mentioned that Wallace struggled to sleep because of the noise, which impacted his daily life and work performance.

In court, Casey expressed remorse to Wallace’s family, describing the fatal stabbing as “unfortunate.”

Casey’s lawyer noted that his client had faced repeated threats to his life for snoring.

“He was extremely frightened of Wallace and felt he had no other choice,” defence attorney James Lyons stated.

Lyons described Casey as “a decent man who was unprepared to handle ongoing abuse and threats.”

Casey will be released after serving 8.5 months in jail, leaving him with just one month of incarceration remaining.