Neighbor charged with killing East Liberty sisters; Police question 2 other people

EAST LIBERTY, Pa. — A man charged with robbing and killing two sisters of an Iowa state lawmaker at their East Liberty home last month turned himself in at police headquarters Wednesday.

Allen Darell Wade, 43, was wanted on numerous charges including criminal homicide, robbery and theft and a firearms violation in the slayings of Susan Wolfe and Sarah Wolfe, his former neighbors.

"I'm innocent.  I'm being framed," Wade told Channel 11 reporters Wednesday.

Shortly before Wade was taken into custody, Target 11 uncovered this comment on his Facebook page:

“I would never, ever in any way hurt a person so brutally.  It’s not in my nature.  I have always respected women.”

Channel 11’s Pamela Osborne spoke with the mother of one of Wade’s children about the arrest.  The woman said she can finally breathe again knowing that he is behind bars.

Also on Wednesday, two people were brought in to police headquarters to be questioned.  Channel 11's Courtney Brennan reported the woman and man were not arrested.

The two sisters of Rep. Mary Wolfe, of Clinton, Iowa, were found dead Feb. 7 after police were called to their Chislett Street residence when they didn't show up for work. Both women were found in the basement of the home they shared; each was shot once in the head, police said.

"I'm extremely appreciative of the hard work and dedication of the Pittsburgh law enforcement community and of the unwavering support my family and I have received and continue to receive from my colleagues and the people of Iowa during this difficult time," said Mary Wolfe, the sisters' sister.

Sarah Wolfe, 38, was a psychiatrist for the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center's Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic. Susan Wolfe, 44, was a teacher's aide at Hillel Academy in the city's Squirrel Hill neighborhood.

"I worked with Sarah Wolfe back at UPMC a long time ago.  She was a very nice woman.  It is sad what happened.  She always kept a smile on her face," said neighbor Tikuisha Grier.

Wade had been questioned by police late last month but released. He denied wrongdoing at the time.

Police Lt. Kevin Kraus said Wade vacated the home next door to the Wolfes' residence and police were searching for him Wednesday before he turned himself in. They provided no other details on his surrender.

In a criminal complaint, authorities allege Wade attacked Susan Wolfe when she was home alone. Her body was found naked and doused with bleach and liquid detergent. The complaint alleges Wade then killed Sarah Wolfe when she returned from work later that night. She was found clothed but with a blanket over her head. Her purse had been emptied.

Police said items belonging to the sisters -- identification cards, credit and bank cards, keys and cellphones -- were missing. Police haven't commented on a motive for the killings.

Police used surveillance video and alarm company records to reconstruct when doors at their residence were opened and closed, where the sisters had been before they were found, and Wade's whereabouts after the slayings.

Target 11's Rick Earle reported one of the key elements in the police investigation was that Wade was wearing sweatpants that belonged to one of the sisters.

According to police, investigators caught Wade on surveillance near the East Liberty Midas taking off the pants.

Police told Earle they also found Wade's DNA on the sweatpants that were later recovered.

Police also found DNA from a male and from a female under Susan Wolfe's fingernails, and say Wade couldn't be excluded "as a contributor to this mixture."

Other surveillance video showed Wade throwing something in a garbage can, where detectives found a pen with "Iowa" on it, police said. Federal firearms records show Wade has bought eight handguns since 1997. Police haven't discussed the type of gun used to kill the sisters.

Wade's criminal history includes multiple arrests for robbery. He spent six years in prison after pleading guilty in 2003 to a 2002 armed robbery of a Wilkinsburg bank. He was paroled in April 2009, according to the Department of Corrections.

About a year later, Pittsburgh police arrested him and two others and accused them of trying to rob the Pittsburgh Federal Credit Union on the North Side. In 2011, prosecutors said they didn't have enough evidence against Wade and dropped the charges. A judge granted his request later that year for the return of his property: a wallet, driver's license, Social Security card, birth certificate, keys and a 30-channel handheld police scanner.

He's also pleaded guilty to simple assault, intimidating a witness, recklessly endangering another person, fleeing police and traffic violations.

Most recently, state police charged him with stealing a Westmoreland County woman's diamond wedding ring when he delivered a refrigerator to her Cook Township home in April 2013. During an interview with state police in Greensburg, he admitted stealing the nearly $3,000 ring out of a bedroom, but said he tossed it because he thought it was fake. A status conference on that case is scheduled for April 17.

Wade, who is twice divorced, also has a troubled history with women. Three women have filed complaints against him for child support payments, according to court records. One of those women also obtained a protection from abuse order against Wade in 1997. She wrote that he threatened her life, fought with her while she held their daughter and broke things in the house. She said he owned a .380 automatic.

One of his ex-wives also filed a protection from abuse order against him in 2002. She wrote when she caught him messing with her car, he claimed he was checking for an oil leak. When she got into the car, the brake pedal went straight to the floor, and a mechanic told her the brake line had been slashed in three different places. She also wrote he cut her phone line and previously had hit her. She filed for divorce in 2003.

The Associated Press and Channel 11's news exchange partners at TribLIVE contributed to this report.

The Associated Press and Channel 11’s news exchange partners at TribLIVE contributed to this report.

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