Doctor pleaded for her life as she was strangled by exterminator - who sobbingly confessed gruesome murder to police
A Philadelphia pediatrician pleaded
for her life as she was strangled by an exterminator working in her home
this year, police have revealed.
The confession by 37-year-old suspect Jason Smith was read by police on Wednesday in court.
Police said that Smith cried and apologized as he admitted to choking Dr Melissa Ketunuti to death, tying her up and burning her corpse.
A judge then ordered Smith held for trial on charges including murder and arson in the death of Dr Ketunuti, 35.
Smith was dealing with a mouse infestation in the doctor's home at the time, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported.
According to Smith's statement, he attacked Dr Ketunuti in the basement of her downtown home on January 21 after she criticized his work.
The statement says Smith strangled her, tied her and up and set a fire to destroy evidence.
Surveillance video from nearby businesses helped lead to Smith's arrest a few days later at his Levittown home.
Smith's lawyer did not immediately return a request for comment.
Dr Ketunuti was a researcher at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.
The brutal and grisly death of the young pediatrician stunned the neighborhood, Smith's family and even police - who are baffled as to why he would commit such a crime with no violent past.
When he confessed to police, he allegedly told them Ketunuti belittled him, which made him so angry that he struck her.
Victim: Dr Ketunuti, who worked at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia,
was only 35 when she was tied up, strangled and set on fire
After
an intense investigation, police were able to zero in on Smith after a
local coffee shop owner and police officers pored over the CCTV footage
from the day of the murder and saw the young doctor walk by with Smith
following closely behind.
An hour later, he returns, this time with a clearer image of his face, gets into his pickup truck and drives away before circling the doctor's home twice.
He then went on to another job in New Jersey. A police source said that Smith was working on behalf of a company called David Bilyk Exterminating.
Developer Ori Feibush, who owns the OCF Coffee House, at 18th and South streets, which is around the corner from Ketunuti's house, told Philly.com: 'We had crystal-clear video of him [Smith] walking right past the coffee shop and looking at the cameras.
'I was exceptionally uncomfortable until they caught the guy because it looked like anybody who walks by the shop.'
Remains: Police officers carry the charred body of Melissa Ketunuti from her home to a waiting police van
Mr Feibush added: 'When he came back he had gloves on, his hat was off and his jacket was
in his arms,' he said. 'Coming back he walks directly under the camera
and that's when we realized, "Wow!" We had this guy on camera.'
He said he went outside to get homicide detectives who were still stationed to the area on Wednesday and told them what he found.
'They were in absolute shock as well,' he said. 'There was the guy, walking in broad daylight with no hat on, not hiding his appearance in front of a very powerful surveillance camera.'
Dr Ketunuti, 35, lived alone with her dog in the quiet, residential area of Philadelphia. Firefighters responded to the call around 12.30pm and discovered the bound body in her basement.
Authorities say she was fully clothed and there were no signs of sexual assault.
The doctor worked at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and was an avid blogger. She was a second-year infectious diseases fellow and researcher at CHOP.
'Melissa
was a warm, caring, earnest, bright young woman with her whole future
ahead of her,' said Paul Offit, MD, chief of the Division of Infectious
Diseases, in a written statement.
'But more than that, she was admired, respected and loved by those with whom she worked here at CHOP. Her death will have a profound impact on those who worked with her and we will all miss her deeply.'
Her blog revealed she was an avid traveler - her mother is Belgian and her father Thai - and liked to go hiking and running in her free time.
According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, she earned a doctorate in medicine from Stanford University and had initially considered working as a surgeon internationally.
In the summer of 2005, she worked on an AIDS research fellowship in Botswana through the National Institutes of Health.
She also completed internships at Johns Hopkins Hospital and New York University.
The confession by 37-year-old suspect Jason Smith was read by police on Wednesday in court.
Police said that Smith cried and apologized as he admitted to choking Dr Melissa Ketunuti to death, tying her up and burning her corpse.
A judge then ordered Smith held for trial on charges including murder and arson in the death of Dr Ketunuti, 35.
Smith was dealing with a mouse infestation in the doctor's home at the time, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported.
According to Smith's statement, he attacked Dr Ketunuti in the basement of her downtown home on January 21 after she criticized his work.
The statement says Smith strangled her, tied her and up and set a fire to destroy evidence.
Surveillance video from nearby businesses helped lead to Smith's arrest a few days later at his Levittown home.
Smith's lawyer did not immediately return a request for comment.
Dr Ketunuti was a researcher at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.
The brutal and grisly death of the young pediatrician stunned the neighborhood, Smith's family and even police - who are baffled as to why he would commit such a crime with no violent past.
When he confessed to police, he allegedly told them Ketunuti belittled him, which made him so angry that he struck her.
Murdered: Dr Melissa Ketunuti had been a pediatrician for five years before her gruesome murder in Philadelphia in January
CCTV: Melissa Ketunuti is seen just before 11am returning to her home after running some errands in the area on January 21
Stalker: Less than one minute later, Smith follows in her footsteps, wearing a North Face jacket and hat
After: Less than an hour later, the camera showed Smith leaving the scene of the murder with his coat and hat removed
Victim: Dr Ketunuti, who worked at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia,
was only 35 when she was tied up, strangled and set on fireAn hour later, he returns, this time with a clearer image of his face, gets into his pickup truck and drives away before circling the doctor's home twice.
He then went on to another job in New Jersey. A police source said that Smith was working on behalf of a company called David Bilyk Exterminating.
Developer Ori Feibush, who owns the OCF Coffee House, at 18th and South streets, which is around the corner from Ketunuti's house, told Philly.com: 'We had crystal-clear video of him [Smith] walking right past the coffee shop and looking at the cameras.
'I was exceptionally uncomfortable until they caught the guy because it looked like anybody who walks by the shop.'
Leaving: Jason Smith's silver pickup truck is
seen driving away before circling the area a few times. The truck was
seized as crucial evidence
Remains: Police officers carry the charred body of Melissa Ketunuti from her home to a waiting police vanHe said he went outside to get homicide detectives who were still stationed to the area on Wednesday and told them what he found.
'They were in absolute shock as well,' he said. 'There was the guy, walking in broad daylight with no hat on, not hiding his appearance in front of a very powerful surveillance camera.'
Dr Ketunuti, 35, lived alone with her dog in the quiet, residential area of Philadelphia. Firefighters responded to the call around 12.30pm and discovered the bound body in her basement.
Authorities say she was fully clothed and there were no signs of sexual assault.
The doctor worked at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and was an avid blogger. She was a second-year infectious diseases fellow and researcher at CHOP.
Crime scene: Police officers close off the area around Dr Ketunuti's home
'But more than that, she was admired, respected and loved by those with whom she worked here at CHOP. Her death will have a profound impact on those who worked with her and we will all miss her deeply.'
Her blog revealed she was an avid traveler - her mother is Belgian and her father Thai - and liked to go hiking and running in her free time.
According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, she earned a doctorate in medicine from Stanford University and had initially considered working as a surgeon internationally.
In the summer of 2005, she worked on an AIDS research fellowship in Botswana through the National Institutes of Health.
She also completed internships at Johns Hopkins Hospital and New York University.
Pet: Melissa's body was found by her dog walker
and friends say she lived for the pit bull/lab mix named Pooch and would
often be seen walking him around the area
Education: Dr Ketunuti earned a doctorate in
medicine from Stanford University and had initially considered working
as a surgeon internationally. She was a pediatrician in the Children's
Hospital of Philadelphia