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An 85-year-old woman, Margaret Seltmann was allegedly killed by her husband 84-year-old Barton Seltmann at their home in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania on Tuesday, November 28, 2023. The Montgomery County District Attorney's Office confirmed that the incident took place on Tuesday afternoon.
According to 6ABC news, Barton called 911 to report that his wife was unresponsive and when authorities arrived at the scene, they found him covered in blood. In their statement, law enforcement officials said that the couple was having an argument that turned violent.
Barton reportedly told police that Margaret had allegedly grabbed a knife to threaten him and he used a chair to push her down. The police affidavit as reported by 6ABC claimed that even after Barton saw that his wife wasn't holding a knife, he continued beating her with the chair.
Margaret Seltmann was allegedly beaten to death by husband during argument over cat's vet bills
A seemingly petty argument between an elderly couple over the veterinary bills for their cat led to the death of 85-year-old Margaret Seltmann. Law enforcement officials received a 911 call from 84-year-old Barton Seltmann claiming that his wife was unresponsive in their house in Lower Pottsgrove Township in Pennsylvania.
When authorities reached the location, they found Barton covered in blood as he stood on the rear porch of the house he shared with Margaret. Upon entering the house, they found the body of Margaret Seltmann, who was declared dead soon after.
Authorities claimed that Barton's condition contradicted what he said on the call when he had stated he wasn't aware of what happened to Margaret Seltmann. While talking to police officers, Barton also claimed that his wife was bleeding from the head before saying that she may have possibly died. He also claimed that their kitchen had been ransacked and according to officers, he claimed that an intruder had killed Margaret.
However, when officers saw him covered in blood, they began suspecting him of murder and arrested him on first and third-degree murder charges.
Upon investigation inside the house, police found a small kitchen knife under Margaret's body, according to NBC 15. They also found pieces of glass from a broken candle jar.
Family members are shocked and some claimed that Barton was suffering from dementia
Lower Pottsgrove Township, Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin R. Steele, and Lower Pottsgrove Township Police Chief Richard Bell issued a joint statement about the incident.
"[The couple were arguing] about money for veterinary care of their cat when the fight turned physical," the statement read.
It added that Margaret Seltmann was allegedly struck several times on the head before she died.
As mentioned earlier, Barton claimed that Margaret threatened to kill him when he pushed a chair into his wife, which led to her falling and hitting her head. The police said that Barton allegedly pushed the legs of the chair into his wife before hitting her multiple times.
He then allegedly began punching her before allegedly grabbing a candle stand and using it to hit his wife in the head. He stated that Margaret Seltmann allegedly said that he was killing her.
A forensic pathologist with the Montgomery County Coroner’s Office confirmed that the cause of Margaret's death was blunt force trauma to the head. The death was ruled as a homicide.
The suspect's preliminary hearing at the court has reportedly been scheduled for December 5, 2023. He is currently being held at Montgomery County Correctional Facility without a bond.
Family members of Barton and Margaret said that they were in shock after learning what happened to the latter. NBC 15 reported that a few relatives even claimed that Margaret had told them that her husband was suffering from memory loss.
Her sister-in-law Sandy Seltmann said that Margaret had told her about Barton suffering from dementia and not remembering things.
"Like if he went somewhere, he wasn't remembering where he was at and things and she was concerned about it," Sandy said.
The suspect's brother, Ron Seltmann stated that they had no clue that such an incident could happen. He added that the incident had torn the family apart. The couple had been married for over 30 years and according to family members, they seemed happy.
