A stolen cellphone, a victim’s identification and other evidence helped police connect two serious cases reported hours apart in Allegheny County.
PITTSBURGH — Evidence gathered as police investigated the killing of a UPMC Children’s Hospital physician helped authorities connect the homicide suspect to a separate sexual assault reported about 14 hours earlier in nearby Wilkinsburg, according to police and court records.
Elijah Hemingway, 32, now faces rape, sexual assault and robbery charges in the Sept. 23 Wilkinsburg case in addition to criminal charges stemming from the Sept. 24 attack that killed Dr. Idris Evans and injured Evans’ wife. The additional case emerged after Wilkinsburg police contacted Allegheny County detectives during the early stages of the Edgewood homicide investigation.
The sequence began about 10:30 a.m. Sept. 23, when a woman reported being attacked while walking toward her car on a pathway connecting an alley with West Street in Wilkinsburg. According to the criminal complaint, she told police an unknown man followed her, ran after her, grabbed her from behind and forced her to the ground.
The woman reported that the attacker took her cellphone. She also told investigators the man repeatedly identified himself as Elijah. At the time of the initial report, police had not publicly identified a suspect in the Wilkinsburg case.
Hours later, shortly after 12:30 a.m. Sept. 24, police were called to a home on Linden Avenue in Edgewood. Authorities said Evans and his wife had been attacked while sleeping. Evans, 46, suffered fatal injuries, while his wife was hospitalized. The couple’s children, ages 8 and 12, were inside the home but escaped without being physically injured.
Allegheny County police identified Hemingway as the suspect in the Edgewood attack and said officers found him near the scene after a police K-9 search. Investigators said he had injuries to his hands and was initially taken for medical treatment. Authorities charged him with criminal homicide, aggravated assault, burglary, criminal trespass and other offenses related to the Edgewood case.
As homicide detectives processed evidence and investigated Hemingway’s movements, Wilkinsburg police contacted them about the sexual assault from the previous morning. Investigators said the cases contained similarities that warranted further examination. The woman in the Wilkinsburg case later told police she recognized Hemingway after seeing news coverage of the Edgewood investigation.
Detectives also recovered physical evidence they said tied Hemingway to the earlier case. Police said the evidence included the woman’s cellphone, which she had reported stolen during the attack. Investigators also reported finding clothing similar to what the woman had described. Those findings became part of the basis for the additional criminal charges.
The new allegations broaden the criminal proceedings involving Hemingway but remain separate accusations that prosecutors would have to prove in court. The filing of charges does not establish guilt. Police have not publicly announced evidence showing that Evans or his family had any connection to the woman in the Wilkinsburg case, and authorities have not announced a motive for the Edgewood attack.
Evans worked in pediatric critical care at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh and was an assistant professor at the University of Pittsburgh. His wife was later reported to be in stable condition following the attack. Authorities have said the couple’s children were able to get out of the home safely.
Hemingway was arraigned Saturday evening on the additional charges and denied bail. He remains jailed while the cases proceed through Allegheny County’s court system and investigators continue examining the events surrounding the two attacks.
Author note: Last updated September 27, 2026.