Pa. Man Charged In Strangulation Death Of Elderly Neighbor
WILKES-BARRE, Pa. (AP) - A northeastern Pennsylvania man has been charged in the strangulation death of an elderly woman who lived a few doors away from him.
Forty-four-year-old Robert Czerpak of Wilkes-Barre is charged in Luzerne County with criminal homicide, theft and receiving stolen property.
Authorities accuse him of killing 77-year-old Eileen Riley, who was found Thursday night dead at the bottom of the stairs in her house.
Police said Czerpak was interviewed Saturday and acknowledged having been in her home but denied having caused her death, but his story was inconsistent with physical evidence.
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Investigators allege that he also burglarized the home, cut the telephone line and stole her car.
Court documents don't list an attorney who could respond to the charges and a message left at Czerpak's number wasn't immediately returned Sunday.
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