Christopher Casey’s noisy snoring could be heard through the shared wall of their condo. The two men were continuously arguing about it. Then, on Monday, January 15, the snoring argument became fatal.
According to authorities, Casey called 911 shortly after 6:30 that evening to report a stabbing at his Upper Moreland Township, Pennsylvania, home.
According to prosecutors, officers discovered Robert Wallace, 62, with several stab wounds about 50 feet from Casey’s residence. Casey’s right thigh was also stabbed.
Both men were taken to Abington Hospital, where Wallace died around 30 minutes after the 911 call.
Police discovered a “large military-style knife and a cellphone” on Casey’s front porch, according to a press release announcing his January arrest for third-degree murder, voluntary manslaughter, and possession of a weapon of crime.
Casey, who accepted a plea deal to avoid a murder charge, was sentenced to 11 ½ to 23 months in county jail and three years probation for killing his neighbor, according to his public defender, James Lyons.
Lyons, chief of the homicide squad at the Montgomery County Public Defender Department, believes Casey used lethal force after being threatened several times.
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In a statement to the Associated Press, he described Casey, 56, as “a good man who was not equipped to deal with this type of sustained abuse and threats.” He declined to speak further about the issue with PEOPLE.
Prosecutors say the two men were known to local police for “ongoing arguments” that sometimes revolved around Casey’s “loud snoring,” which Wallace “could hear through the shared wall of the two residences.”
According to prosecutors, when investigating the crime scene following the stabbing, Upper Moreland Township Police discovered a window screen that had been removed from a window near the front door and discarded in the grass. The window was pushed open.
Investigators discovered that Wallace had removed the window screen from the porch earlier that night and disrupted Casey’s dinner, resulting in a “verbal altercation between the two men,” according to prosecutors.
According to the Associated Press, Wallace vowed to murder Casey after opening the window due to the volume of his snoring. Then, during the dispute, Casey stabbed Wallace many times with a military-style knife, according to authorities.
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According to prosecutors, forensic pathologist Dr. Ian Hood of the Montgomery County Coroner’s Office determined that Wallace died of several stab wounds, and the manner of death was homicide.
Casey was detained in January, and his bail was set at $1 million cash.
Wallace’s family claimed in court last week that the Pennsylvania man’s quality of life and capacity to work had suffered as a result of his snoring-induced lack of sleep.
In response, Casey reportedly apologized, calling their final, deadly disagreement “unfortunate.”