Husband charged with murder of missing Bucks County woman Elizabeth Capaldi
The DA says the suspect strangled and used a pillow to smother his wife while she was sleeping in their bed.
SELLERSVILLE, Pennsylvania (WPVI) -- The husband of a woman who has been missing for more than two months has been charged with her murder, the Bucks County district attorney announced Thursday.
Stephen Capaldi, 57, has been charged with killing 55-year-old Elizabeth Capaldi inside their Sellersville, Pa. home on October 10.
District Attorney Matt Weintraub said during a news conference that he expects Stephen Capaldi will plead guilty to the charges. That would carry a sentence of 20 to 40 years in prison.
The investigation began two days after the killing, Weintraub said, when Elizabeth's daughter called police after family members hadn't heard from her in two days.
Investigators say Stephen Capaldi strangled and used a pillow to smother Elizabeth while she was sleeping in their bed. The D.A.'s office said he then moved her body from the master bedroom to a back bedroom, and then finally to a basement, where he dismembered her and disposed of her remains on October 12.
He allegedly disposed of some of those remains in a Montgomery County dumpster and buried others along the Delaware River at Hog Island in Delaware County near the Philadelphia International Airport.
He led investigators to the site in Delaware County back on Friday, Weintraub said, where remains were recovered. DNA testing confirmed the remains were those of Elizabeth.
Stephen Capaldi is facing charges for both his wife's murder and his actions to cover up the crime, Weintraub said.
According to the grand jury report, Stephen Capaldi had several incriminating online searches on his phone including "how to get away with murder" and "how to disappear and never be found."
He also initially told law enforcement that his wife recently admitted to having a three-year affair behind his back. A grand jury determined that was a lie, but rather concluded it was Stephen who was having an affair, which at first he allegedly said wasn't sexual.
"This statement was a lie as it was determined that Stephen Capaldi had been having an emotional and sexual affair with this woman for approximately six months," the grand jury report stated.
According to the report, Stephen Capaldi visited his mistress on the day his wife went missing.
The district attorney went on to say that investigators are not yet satisfied that they know the motive for the killing.
However, Weintraub said investigators are certain that Stephen Capaldi is solely responsible for Elizabeth's murder.
Stephen Capaldi is being held in Bucks County prison without bail.
Weintraub said the family agreed to a third-degree murder charge for Stephen Capaldi in return for his cooperation in finding Elizabeth's remains.
