An elderly Montgomery County man said he beat his wife to death after she grabbed a knife and threatened to kill him during an argument over their pet cat, according to investigators.
Barton Seltmann, 84, is charged with murdering his wife, Margaret Seltmann, 85, inside their home in Lower Pottsgrove Township, Pennsylvania.
On Tuesday, Nov. 28, at 2:26 p.m., Lower Pottsgrove police officers responded to a home on North Keim Street for a report of an unresponsive woman. The caller, later identified as Barton Seltmann, told 911 operators he believed his wife was dead and that someone “beat her,” according to the affidavit of probable cause.
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Seltmann also said that the kitchen in their home was ransacked and that his wife was bleeding from the head, investigators said.
When the officers arrived, they found Barton Seltmann on the rear porch with his hands, face and clothing covered in blood, according to the affidavit. The officers then found the body of his wife, Margaret Seltmann, inside the kitchen. She was unresponsive with injuries to her head.
Barton Seltmann was treated by medics at the scene and told them that he had injured his wife during a fight, according to investigators.
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Barton Seltmann was taken to the Lower Pottsgrove Police Department. Investigators, meanwhile, found a small kitchen knife under Margaret Seltmann’s body as well as shards of glass from a broken candle jar. They later determined she had been struck several times in the head while on the ground.
During an interview with investigators, Barton Seltmann claimed the ordeal began when he and his wife were arguing over money for the veterinary care of their pet cat, according to the affidavit. Seltmann told police the argument escalated when his wife grabbed a knife and threatened to kill him, investigators said.
Seltmann said he then grabbed a 4-legged chair and pushed the legs of the chair into his wife, according to the affidavit. Seltmann told investigators his wife then fell back and struck her head on the floor, police said.
Seltmann said he didn’t spot a knife in his wife’s hand but still repeatedly punched her and then used a candleholder to strike her in the head, according to the affidavit. Seltmann said his wife stated, “You’re killing me,” and that she then “went to sleep,” according to investigators.
After the interview, Seltmann was arrested and charged with first-degree murder and third-degree murder. He was remanded to the Montgomery County Correctional Facility and his preliminary hearing is scheduled for Dec. 5.
Online court records do not list an attorney for Seltmann.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline by calling 1-800-799-SAFE (7233), visiting www.thehotline.org or texting LOVEIS to 22522.
