Bucks County man sentenced to 44 years in prison for wife's murder

The DA says the suspect strangled and used a pillow to smother his wife while she was sleeping in their bed.

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Wednesday, April 12, 2023
Bucks Co. man sentenced to 44 years in wife's murder
Stephen Capaldi, 57, killed his wife, 55-year-old Elizabeth Capaldi, inside their Sellersville, Pa. home on October 10.

SELLERSVILLE, Pennsylvania (WPVI) -- A Bucks County man will spend 44 years in prison after pleading guilty to killing his wife.

Stephen Capaldi, 57, killed his wife, 55-year-old Elizabeth Capaldi, inside their Sellersville, Pa. home on October 10.

The investigation began two days after the killing, Buck County District Attorney Matt 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.

Capaldi had been charged with third-degree murder, after helping law enforcement locate his wife's remains after initially misleading authorities for eight weeks.

During a press conference on Dec. 15, 2022, Bucks County DA Matt Weintraub announced murder charges in the killing of Elizabeth Capaldi.

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.