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More details released in homicides

Time of death and toxicology reports remain unfinished pieces of the investigation into a Martinsburg couple’s physical altercation that escalated to a double homicide inside their residence.

State Police Trooper Joseph Dunsmore, Hollidaysburg barracks spokesman, indicated the altercation occurred sometime over the weekend as snow accumulated.

“What took us to the house was a neighbor who called 911 Monday because they observed that the residence where the individuals lived had not been cleared of snow (which fell on Saturday),” Dunsmore said. “It was out of the ordinary. So a welfare check had been done on the residents.”

When police arrived at the 2794 Cove Mountain Road residence of Sheldon Appleman, 49, and Cassandra Appleman, 30, they found a crime scene.

Police and county Coroner Patty Ross concluded the couple inflicted mortal wounds on each other with a knife that was first wielded by Cassandra against Sheldon.

His wounds were at his abdomen, Ross said.

Before he bled out, Sheldon used the knife to wound Cassandra’s chest and neck.

Toxicology reports will not be completed for another week, Ross said.

Dunsmore said there is no evidence that there could be any other suspects.

Court documents indicate a history of alcohol abuse by Sheldon.

The couple had three young children, according to court records, but there is no evidence they were at the residence during the alteration.

Blair County Children and Youth adjudicated two children dependent in 2015 when Sheldon was charged with striking one of the children in the head for dripping ice cream on his jacket. Neighbors reported that incident.

Cassandra and Sheldon both denied it, but according to custody hearing testimony from Cassandra, Sheldon eventually pleaded guilty to avoid more jail time.

In May 2016, legal and physical custody of the two children were granted to relatives with supervised visits for the parents.

A third child was born in 2016 but was removed from the parents’ custody as a newborn. Sheldon had allegedly threatened to kill anyone who took the child from them, court documents say.

The custody hearing records contain a history of the couple who married in 2010. Both Cassandra and Sheldon had intellectual difficulties. Sheldon was employed intermittently but appeared to be unemployed most of the calendar year in 2016 during the custody proceedings.

The home received Social Security benefits in addition to Appleman’s occasional employment. Cassandra had a high school education; Sheldon had a 10th-grade education and had been diagnosed with mental illnesses for which he was prescribed medications.

Blair County’s court record of Cassandra’s custody hearing testimony states she admitted Sheldon had a temper but that was under control when he took medication.

She also admitted that he had choked her when he wasn’t on medication. She was in physical therapy for a year as a result of an incident where Sheldon choked her, the record stated.

Sheldon had a criminal record of violence dating back to 2012.

In 2017, his wife told police that he had grabbed her by the throat/neck area after an altercation inside their residence. She said her breathing had been impeded by him.

As a result of that incident, Sheldon was originally charged with strangulation, simple assault, terroristic threats and harassment.

However, all of the charges were dismissed except for simple assault. The Blair County District Attorney’s Office would not comment about why the charges were dismissed.

When the homicides occurred, Sheldon had been serving two years of probation since April for the simple assault charge. The sentencing order on file for his probation included requirements for Appleman to complete the Men helping Men program, a 16-week batterer’s intervention program provided by Blair Family Services.

In addition, his probation required him to take his medications as prescribed and prohibited him from ingesting alcohol.

Mirror Staff Writer Russ O’Reilly is at 946-7435.

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