Pennsylvania

80-Year-Old Pennsylvania Man Accused of Killing Wife Arrested in Colorado

Edgar Himel will be extradited to Pennsylvania to face a homicide charge

An "armed and dangerous" 80-year-old Pennsylvania man accused of killing his wife has been captured in Colorado, officials said.

Edgar Himel was arrested around 1 a.m. Saturday in Sterling, Colorado, Palmer Township Police Department Sgt. Timothy Ruoff said in a statement. Himel fled after being accused of gunning down his 66-year-old wife, Penny VanTassel-Himel, inside their Palmer Township home earlier this month.

He stayed at hotels in Nebraska and Wyoming before he was captured in Colorado by the Sterling Police Department, Ruoff said.

Himel will be extradited to Pennsylvania to face a homicide charge.

Police found VanTassel-Himel with a gunshot wound to the head inside the couple's home on the 100 block of Old Orchard Drive while conducting a welfare check on July 7. When police found her, VanTassel-Himel appeared to have been dead for a few days, investigators said.

The victim called 911 three days earlier and told the dispatcher there was an emergency at her home before the line went silent, according to an affidavit. Two officers arrived at 2:18 a.m. and one of them saw an older, bald man standing in VanTassel-Himel's bedroom, but neither of them went in, according to the document. 

Northampton County District Attorney John Morganelli said his office will investigate why law enforcement officers never entered the home.

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