It wasn’t the ending family and friends were hoping for but the investigation into the missing woman from Sellersville, Elizabeth “Beth” Capaldi turned into a murder case.
On Thursday Bucks County District Attorney Matt Weintraub announced Husband Stephen Capaldi was charged with charged with third-degree murder, possessing an instrument of crime, tampering with or fabricating physical evidence, obstructing the administration of law or other governmental function and abuse of a corpse.
Capaldi’s arrest is the culmination of an intense and emotional investigation led by Detectives from the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office and the Perkasie Borough Police Department, with the assistance of several law enforcement agencies, The Bucks County Investigating Grand Jury and the community.
“I’ve spoken with Beth Capaldi’s family,” District Attorney Weintraub said during Thursday’s news conference. “I explained the principles and goals I focused on in my negotiations with the defendant. First: To find Beth Capaldi alive if possible – I am so sorry that this was not possible – her family was devastated by this news. If not, then to bring her back to her family, and to bring her killer to justice.”
“We continue to pursue both of these goals.”
This investigation began on Oct. 12, 2022, when Elizabeth Capaldi, 55, was reported missing to the Perkasie Borough Police Department by her daughter. Elizabeth Capaldi lived with her husband, Stephen Capaldi, who last saw her in the early morning hours of Oct. 10, 2022, but never contacted police.
Elizabeth Capaldi’s purse, some clothing, personal items and $13,000 in cash were reported missing from the home, but her cellphone, iPad, and vehicle were allegedly left at the home.
At a news conference on Oct. 26, 2022, District Attorney Weintraub asked for the public’s help in locating Elizabeth Capaldi, and over the course of several weeks, the community held search parties and prayer vigils in hopes of locating the missing Elizabeth Capaldi.
However, this investigation concluded that Stephen Capaldi murdered his wife, lied to investigators on several occasions, took steps to destroy evidence and hid her body.
Last weekend, according to multiple published reports Capaldi was taken into custody and subsequently as part of an agreement to proffer from the DA’s office he led investigators n the Hog Island area near Philadelphia International Airport, where ‘human remains’ were located.
Capaldi killed his wife on the morning of Oct. 10, 2022, while she was sleeping in their bed, by strangling her and using a pillow to smother her. He then moved his wife’s body from the master bedroom to a back bedroom and then the basement where he dismembered her and disposed of her remains on Oct. 12, 2022, prior to ever meeting with law enforcement.
Capaldi purchased items to carry out the disposal of his wife’s body, investigators said.
Weintraub was effusive in his praise for the efforts of all law enforcment agencies that assisted in the invesgation: Detectives from the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office and the Perkasie Borough Police Department, with the assistance of the Bucks County Investigating Grand Jury. Other law enforcement agencies that played a key role in this investigation include: The Regional Forensics Computer Laboratory (RFCL); Delaware County Detectives; Tinicum Township Police Department; Pennsylvania State Police and their cadaver dog K-9 Jack; Bensalem Township Police Department; the Bucks County Coroner’s Office; the Bucks County Sheriff’s Office; the Bucks County Correctional Facility; the Delaware County Medical Examiner’s Office; Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); Delaware Valley Intelligence Center (DVIC); Upper Saucon Township Police Department; Quakertown Borough Police Department; Pennsylvania State Coroner’s Association; the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUS); Delaware State Police and Keystone K-9s. The Bucks County District Attorney’s Office would also like to thank the Borough of Sellersville, Home Depot Asset Protection, and the community for their assistance during the search for Elizabeth Capaldi. This case will be prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Mary Kate Kohler.
Capaldi is being held at Bucks County Correctional Facility without bail and according to court records no court dates have been scheduled as of Friday.
Credit: Bucks County DA’s Office
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