Rostraver Township man pleads guilty to assisting suicide
A Rostraver Township man pleaded guilty Friday in Westmoreland County Court to assisting in his wife’s suicide in 2016.
Edward Paul Friday, 82, entered the plea before Judge Meagan Bilik-DeFazio, court officials said. A charge of first-degree homicide was dismissed.
Police said Friday botched a suicide pact he made May 22, 2016, with his wife, Wilma Jean Friday, 82, at their residence at 5127 Cedar Hills Boulevard in Rostraver Township. She died in a Pittsburgh hospital two days after her husband helped her slash her throat.
Edward Friday slashed his wrists the day of the pact and was treated for his injuries at Mon Valley Hospital.
Friday told police he and his wife lived long enough, and they agreed to kill themselves. He said his wife retrieved a kitchen knife and started to cut her neck. He told police his wife couldn’t go through with the suicide, prompting him to take the knife and cut her neck. Police claimed he also told officers he took 20 Oxycontin tablets after he realized he wasn’t dying from cutting his wrists.
Police said Edward Friday realized he was killing his wife, and he did not offer or summon any medical assistance for her while she lay bleeding in bed.
Edward Friday had scratch marks on his arms, injuries police allege occurred when his wife attempted to stop him from cutting her neck, court records indicate.
The Allegheny County medical examiner’s office determined Wilma Friday died from hemorrhagic shock attributed to an excessive amount of blood loss in a short period, caused by a wound to the left side of her neck.
The autopsy report also showed evidence Wilma Friday suffered defensive wounds on her left hand and finger, the affidavit states.
Edward Friday will be sentenced within 90 days, following a pre-sentencing investigation. He remained in Westmoreland County jail without bond Monday.