A senior citizen was arrested on murder charges after allegedly stabbing his wife in the back when she tried to make him eat pancakes earlier this week.
Metropolitan police were called to a residence in the 1300 block of Corcoran Street in Washington, D.C., at around 3:40 p.m. on December 10 in connection to a stabbing incident involving a couple married for roughly 40 years. They found that both Steven Schwartz, 85, and Sharron Hilda Schwartz, 81, were injured, the former reportedly with self-inflicted wounds.
The couple was transported to a nearby hospital, where the female victim eventually died.
On December 14, Steven Schwartz was arrested and charged with second-degree murder while armed and was arraigned that same day in D.C. Superior Court. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, he entered a not-guilty plea and will be held without bond until his next hearing on January 2.
The suspect reportedly expressed considerable grief at the death of his wife and told the authorities that he wished he had died instead. He allegedly has been recovering from a stroke and has struggled with both depression and an aversion to food.
His alleged attack had been brought on by the suspect’s wife trying to make him eat pancakes. They argued, and Steven Schwartz allegedly stabbed Sharron in the back.
Earlier this year, another domestic argument broke out in Kentucky over a Hot Pocket, as previously reported in The Dallas Express. Clifton Williams, 64, was arrested for assault charges after allegedly shooting his roommate in the buttocks when he found out the roommate had eaten the last Hot Pocket. The roommate survived his wounds.
While a number of armed assaults have been committed this year in Dallas, the city struggles above all with a rising homicide rate. As of December 14, 235 murders had been committed in Dallas, according to the City’s crime analytics dashboard. This represents a 13.5% rise year over year.
The Dallas Police Department’s efforts have been dampened by a longstanding officer shortage. It has fewer than 3,200 officers despite a City report recommending closer to 4,000 to ensure public safety.
