A “deeply religious” Pennsylvania man, said to have been inspired by the Old Testament, stoned a 70-year-old to death, claiming that his victim was gay.

According to this report, John Thomas, 28, of Upper Darby, a Philadelphia suburb, told police he killed Murray Seidman of nearby Lansdowne because the Bible refers to stoning homosexuals.

Thomas, who was arrested and charged with murder last Friday, told police:

I stoned Murray with a rock in a sock.

Thomas claimed Seidman had made unwanted sexual advances towards him. He then read in the Old Testament that homosexuals should be stoned in certain situations. In answer to his prayers, Thomas said he received an answer from Above, telling him was to put an end to the victim’s life. He said he struck the victim approximately ten times on the head. After the final blow, John Thomas made sure the victim was dead.

Said Lansdowne Police Chief Dan Kortan:

He is a deeply religious man. Or so he says.

Delaware County Medical Examiner Fredric Hellman ruled that Seidman had been dead for five to 10 days before Thomas started banging on doors in the hallway of Seidman’s apartment building on January 12.

Police said Thomas, who is the executor and sole beneficiary of Seidman’s will, returned to the apartment and pretended that he had just discovered Seidman’s body.

Thomas had no comment as he was led out of the Delaware County Courthouse on Friday.

Seidman was a longtime worker in the laundry department at Mercy Fitzgerald Hospital, where he was “very popular,” Kortan said.

As far as we are concerned, he was a model citizen.

Note: The stoning of St Stephen image used to illustrate this report was taken from Our Precious Lambs, a Christian website aimed at youngsters. The site invites kids to print the picture and colour it in. Nice!

Hat tip: BarrieJohn



