Wilkinsburg husband charged with homicide in wife's death
Richard Katilius told Wilkinsburg police he called his sister and her husband early Wednesday because he had to drop off the family dog at their Butler County home.
“It's bad. It's really bad. I killed Linda,” Katilius told them, police said.
Linda Katilius, 63, was found dead on the second floor of their Old Gate Road home just after 4 a.m. Police forced their way inside in response to a request to check on her safety.
Police charged Richard Katilius, 60, with one count of homicide.
According to the criminal complaint, Richard Katilius called his sister, Ruth Fertelmes, and her husband, Randall, and told them he had killed his wife. Randall Fertelmes then called Wilkinsburg police.
Police said they found Linda Katilius in a bedroom doorway with bruises on her head and blood on her left hand.
State police in Butler intercepted Richard Katilius at the Fertelmes' home in Cabot and took him to Allegheny County Police headquarters for questioning. Police noted possible blood on his shirt and scratches on his chest and neck.
Richard Katilius told police it was an accident and he hadn't meant to kill his wife, according to the complaint. He said he was drinking red wine the previous night and strangled her. He told police nothing snapped inside him that specifically led him to do it.
“He stated that he just did it, and he does not remember why,” detectives wrote in the complaint.
Record searches turned up little information on Richard Katilius and his wife. Richard Katilius is the son of Edward and Helen Katilius, who died in 1976 and 1995, respectively. His father's family ran the longtime Katilius Furniture in Homestead, which went out of business in 1999.
Court records showed no criminal history for Richard Katilius in Pennsylvania. A search of civil records turned up no filings for divorce or protection from abuse.
Neighbors on the street largely declined to comment beyond noting that their neighborhood is normally quiet and close-knit. Several neighbors gathered on the porch of the home next door to the scene, some wiping away tears.
“I would have let (Richard Katilius) stay in my house, trusted him with everything I own,” neighbor Andrea Shields told Tribune-Review news partner WPXI-TV. “What happened to him will be a mystery.”
Megan Guza is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach her at 412-380-8519 or mguza@tribweb.com.
