Judge adds more time to Stephen Capaldi's deal with prosecutors for killing his wife
No surprises were anticipated at the plea hearing Tuesday for Stephen Capaldi, the Sellersville man who last year murdered his wife of 30 years, then misled authorities for eight weeks after she went missing.
But Bucks County Judge Charissa Liller had other ideas.
The hearing outcome for the 57-year-old Capaldi had been in writing since last December when the Bucks County DA brokered a deal to get Capaldi to confess to the murder and lead authorities to his wife.
Exclusive details on Capaldi case After eight weeks of lies, why did Stephen Capaldi finally admit killing his wife?
In exchange for his cooperation, Capaldi would plead guilty to third-degree murder and related crimes and serve 20 to 40 years in state prison for the death of Elizabeth “Beth” Capaldi.
The deal was brokered with the consent of Beth Capaldi’s family including her and Stephen’s only child, Emma, to spare them the delayed pain of a trial and ensure the return of Beth Capaldi’s remains to her family.
But then Liller heard about the impact of the loss from the people who loved Beth Capaldi, including her daughter.
She also heard from Stephen Capaldi, who affirmed to the DA’s version of events surrounding the death of his wife and his part in it.
"Yes, your honor, those are the facts,” Capaldi said in a clear voice. “Yes, I murdered my wife.”
Then the judge did something unexpected.
Sellersville woman reported missing Police searching for Sellersville woman who left car, keys and cellphone behind in home 2 weeks ago
"Of course she didn't deserve it."
After calling Capaldi a coward and a terrorist, Liller went outside the original plea agreement guidelines, sentencing him to 22 to 44 years in state prison.
The additional two, 12 to 24 months sentences were for charges of misleading authorities and abuse of corpse, which Liller called the most egregious of the lesser charges. He will serve those two sentences one at a time and after he is paroled on the murder charge.
The judge also ordered Capaldi to pay more than $8,300 in restitution to his daughter for his wife’s funeral expenses and he is to have no contact with any of his wife’s family, including his daughter.
Capaldi agreed to the change in the agreement and agreed he would not appeal them, telling the judge he only wanted to give his wife’s family and friends closure.
“I’m fine with what has been discussed,” he said.
He also apologized for his action,
“My wife, her family didn’t deserve what was done,” Capaldi said, after Liller asked him if he had anything to say.
When Liller pressed Capaldi for the reason he strangled his wife in her sleep, dismembered her body and threw it in the trash, he only repeated he didn’t know why.
“She didn’t deserve it,” he said.
“Of course she didn’t deserve it,” Liller shot back. “It was bad enough to murder this woman in her sleep.”
"The man who sits here today should never be free"
The most emotional words spoken Tuesday came from Emma Capaldi. She told the court that without her best friend, she struggles every day to move forward.
“To officially lose both of my parents on the same day has been the single most horrible thing to ever happen to me,” Emma Capaldi said. “I cry in the car while I am driving. I cry in bed while my boyfriend is sleeping. I cry in the shower. I cry in parking lots before I go into stores. I cry in the stores. I am even crying as I write this.”
Emma said that she deeply grieves for her mother while knowing the closest thing she has to her mother — her father — is responsible for the loss and pain.
“My own father took the person who loved me most. He stole her while she was sleeping. He cut her into pieces. He threw her in the trash. To top it off, he threw a lot of her belongings away so I can’t even have them,” she said.
Her father also denied her two months of grieving with his lies about not knowing what happened to her mother, and denied her a complete set of remains to bury, Emma said.
“I hope that the actions taken today will allow me to move into the next chapter of my life. As his only child, I cannot help but feel grief and love for the man who was my father,” Emma added. “But the man who sits here today should never be free from prison.”
The search for Elizabeth Capaldi Residents continue search for Sellersville woman who went missing a month ago
Beth Capaldi goes missing without a trace
It was on October 12 last year when Beth Capaldi, 55, was reported missing two days after authorities said she was last seen inside the couple’s home near High and Church streets.
Emma Capaldi told police her father didn’t seem concerned that he hadn’t heard from his wife. But everyone else was.
The Bucks County District Attorney’s Office held a news conference shortly after Capaldi was reported missing asking the public for help finding her. Community members also organized large search parties including at Nockamixon State Park and wooded areas and a park near the couple's home.
In initial police questioning, Stephen Capaldi maintained he was in Montgomery County checking on rental properties he owned, then he went fishing before returning home and finding his wife gone.
It was the same story Capaldi maintained for weeks, until forensic examinations of his smartphone showed evidence Stephen Capaldi – not Beth – was having a six month extramarital affair.
Police also found out Capaldi did numerous internet searches including, “how to get away with murder,” “how to delete Facebook messages,” “how to dispose of a human body,” and “how to disappear and never be found.”
To avoid a first-degree murder charge and a mandatory life sentence, Capaldi agreed to the plea agreement and to tell investigators what happened to his wife and her body.
He confessed to smothering his wife as she slept. He dismembered the body in the basement of their home two days later, on the same day Beth Capaldi was reported missing, authorities said.
Capaldi led investigators to where he buried part of the remains near the Philadelphia International Airport.
Other remains were disposed of in an apartment trash bin in Montgomery County and they have not been recovered, authorities said.
More on the arrest of Steven Capaldi Sellersville husband charged in murder of wife missing since October
This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Stephen Capaldi could serve 44 years for killing wife, Beth
