The subheadline of a Thursday press release from the DC United States Attorney’s office titled “85-Year Old DC Man Charged With Killing His 81-Year-Old Wife” also includes a secondary headline reading “Defendant Did Not Want to Eat the Pancakes She Made and Stabbed Her in the Back.”
There were no further mention of the pancakes in the press release, which says: “Steven Schwartz, 85, of Washington, DC, was arrested earlier today on the charge of second-degree murder while armed in the stabbing death of his 81-year-old wife, Sharron Schwartz, on December 10, 2023, at their DC home, US Attorney Matthew M Graves announced. Defendant Schwartz was arraigned today in DC Superior Court, via video appearance, where he entered a plea of not guilty.”
“The Honorable Magistrate Judge Sherry Trafford found probable cause that the defendant committed the murder and held him without bond pending his preliminary hearing on January 2, 2024, at 9:30 am, before Judge Demeo in Courtroom 303. In announcing the arrest, US Attorney Graves commended the work of those investigating the case from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) and Assistant United States Attorney Nebiyu Feleke for his efforts in prosecuting this case. An arrest on a complaint is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed a violation of criminal laws and every defendant is presumed innocent until, and unless, proven guilty.”