In early February 2014, the lives of two sisters, Sarah and Susan Wolfe, were tragically cut short in their shared Pittsburgh home. Sarah Wolfe, a 38-year-old female, was a respected child and adolescent psychiatrist at the Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic. Her older sister, Susan, 44, had recently moved to the city and was working as a teacher's aide. Concern arose on Friday, February 7, 2014, when both sisters failed to show up for work.
A colleague of Susan's contacted the police to request a welfare check at their East Liberty residence.
Upon arriving at the home, a police officer initially found nothing amiss. However, Sarah's boyfriend arrived with a key, allowing the officer to enter the house. In the basement, they made a grim discovery: the bodies of both Sarah and Susan Wolfe. Investigators determined that both sisters had been killed by a single gunshot wound to the head. There were no signs of forced entry into the home. Sarah's car, a lime-green Ford Fiesta, was missing from the residence but was later found parked about a mile away.
The investigation soon focused on the sisters' next-door neighbor, Allen D. Wade, a man with a criminal history. On March 5, 2014, the 43-year-old was arrested and charged with two counts of criminal homicide, robbery, and theft. A key piece of evidence was male DNA found under Susan Wolfe's fingernails, which was a match to Wade. Additionally, traces of Wade's blood were discovered on a pair of sweatpants found near where Sarah's car was recovered. Detectives also found that the victims' bank cards had been used by Wade at an ATM.
In May 2016, Allen D. Wade's trial began. The prosecution presented the DNA evidence and surveillance footage of Wade using the stolen bank cards. The defense argued that the investigation had been sloppy and that Wade was the victim of a rush to judgment. However, after five hours of deliberation, the jury found Allen D. Wade guilty on all charges. He was subsequently sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the murders of Sarah and Susan Wolfe.
