Pennsylvania man, 84, accused of killing wife in argument over cat’s vet care

An 84-year-old Pennsylvania man is accused of beating his wife to death after an argument over money for their cat’s veterinary care.

Barton Seltmann was arrested Tuesday after police found his wife, 85-year-old Margaret Seltmann, dead in the couple’s Lower Pottsgrove Township home. according to a joint statement Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin R. Steele and Lower Pottsgrove Township Police Chief Richard Bell.

The couple was arguing “over money for veterinary care for their cat when the fight became physical,” according to the statement. “Evidence found at the scene indicated that the victim was hit multiple times in the head while lying on the kitchen floor.”

Barton Seltmann called 911 himself to report an “unresponsive female,” authorities said. When they arrived, police officers found the man on a back porch with “blood on his hands, face and clothing,” according to authorities.

NBC Philadelphia reported that Barton Seltmann initially told 911 operators that he believed his wife was dead and that someone “hit her.” He later said he beat his wife to death after she grabbed a knife and threatened to kill him, the station reported.

Barton Seltmann said he grabbed a chair and pushed his legs toward his wife, according to a probable cause affidavit. Seltmann told investigators that his wife fell backwards and hit her head on the ground, NBC Philadelphia reported.

Barton Seltmann said he didn’t see a knife in his wife’s hand, but he still hit her repeatedly and then used a candelabra to hit her in the head, the station reported. Seltmann said his wife told him, “You’re killing me,” according to NBC Philadelphia.

According to the station, investigators found a small kitchen knife under Margaret Seltmann’s body.

A forensic pathologist with the Montgomery County Coroner’s Office determined the woman’s cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head, and her manner of death was ruled a homicide, the district attorney’s office said.

Barton Seltmann was indicted for first- and third-degree murder, online court records show. He is scheduled to have a preliminary hearing on December 5. Court records do not list an attorney who could comment on his behalf.