Churchville, Pennsylvania, man stabbed, killed his parents and sister at home, DA says
A Bucks County, Pennsylvania, man stabbed and killed his parents while they slept in their beds last week and then killed his sister the next day, the district attorney said.
In an update about the case on Wednesday, Bucks County District Attorney Joe Khan identified the three victims as Fred Castiglia, 90; Judith Castiglia, 84; and Deborah Castiglia, 53.
Kevin Castiglia, 55, is charged with killing all three — his parents and his sister — inside a home on Heather Road in Northampton Township. He admitted to the murders while being treated at a local hospital and later gave a full confession to detectives, Khan said.
Deborah Castiglia's boyfriend first alerted police that there was a problem. After being unable to reach her on Saturday, he went to the home on Sunday and noticed there were no footprints in the snow, but saw Deborah Castiglia's car there.
He returned on Sunday, when he was confronted by Kevin Castiglia, who said his sister was probably on vacation and brandished "a Psycho-style chef's knife," according to the DA. The boyfriend called the police, who were dispatched around 2:15 p.m. Monday to check on the family.
When police arrived, Kevin Castiglia confronted them, armed with two knives — including one that was stained with blood — and deflected their attempts to use a Taser to subdue him, according to the DA. The suspect barricaded himself inside a second-floor bedroom, leading to an hours-long standoff before the South Central Emergency Response Team took him into custody around 8 p.m. Officials did not share details about how officers eventually arrested Kevin Castiglia.
Investigators believe the parents were killed on Friday night and that Kevin Castiglia killed his sister when she came to the home on Saturday, said Deputy District Attorney Monica W. Furber, who is prosecuting the case. The Bucks County Coroner's Office said preliminary findings indicate the victims were stabbed to death.
Investigators have located one knife they believe was used in the murders, Furber said.
Deborah Castiglia was "a beloved math teacher," Khan said. In a letter to families, Centennial School District Superintendent Abram Lucabaugh said she started working in the district as a math teacher at Klinger Middle School in 1999. She moved to William Tennent High School in 2018, where she served her students "with dedication, care, and compassion," the letter says.
"Her loss is profoundly felt across our school community," Lucabaugh wrote.
"She was just really sweet; she didn't deserve anything that just happened," said Taylor Dailey, a former student.
Dailey is still processing the news and said Castiglia encouraged and inspired her during her junior year at William Tennent High School in Warminster.
"I didn't really have the self-esteem and confidence to continue doing my schoolwork, but throughout that entire year, she was very supportive, and she saw potential in me," Dailey said. "She wasn't rude, she never raised her voice, and she treated all of us as if we were her children."
The district has activated its crisis response teams, and counseling and support services are available for students and staff, the letter says. Therapy dogs will be available at Klinger Middle School and William Tennent High School in the days ahead, according to the superintendent.
Neighbors say Kevin Castiglia lived in the home with his parents.
