This undated photo provided by the Pittsburgh Police shows Allen Darell Wade. Pittsburgh police charged Wade on Wednesday with killing 44-year-old Susan Wolf and her sister, 38-year-old Sarah Wolfe during a break-in and robbery at their home. Their bodies were found Feb. 7, 2014. The two were sisters of an Iowa state lawmaker. According to police, Wade was arrested Wednesday afternoon. (AP Photo/Pittsburgh Police)
PITTSBURGH – A man charged with robbing and killing two sisters of an Iowa state lawmaker turned himself in to police on Wednesday after professing his innocence on Facebook and claiming he had been framed.
Allen Darell Wade, of Pittsburgh, was wanted on charges including criminal homicide, robbery, theft and a firearms violation in the slayings of Susan Wolfe and Sarah Wolfe, his former neighbors.
The two sisters of Democratic Rep. Mary Wolfe, of Clinton, Iowa, were found dead Feb. 7 after police were called to their home when they didn't show up for work. Both women were found in the basement of the home they shared; each was shot once in the head, police said.
Sarah Wolfe, 38, was a psychiatrist for the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center's Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic. Susan Wolfe, 44, was a teacher's aide at Hillel Academy in the city's Squirrel Hill neighborhood.
Wade was questioned by police late last month but released. He denied wrongdoing at the time.
Lt. Kevin Kraus said Wade had since vacated the home next door to the Wolfes' residence and police were searching for him Wednesday before he turned himself in. They provided no other details on his surrender, though Kraus said police were alerted to Wade's plans by monitoring his Facebook page.
On it, Wade professed his innocence, writing, "I would like for the world to know I am 100 percent innocent I would never ever in any way Hurt a person so brutally it is not in my nature I have always respected women and will always continue to do so I am being framed to take the fall for this case and hopefully justice will prevail !"
In a statement, the Iowa lawmaker said she was grateful for the Pittsburgh Police Department's efforts.
"I'm extremely appreciative of the hard work and dedication of the Pittsburgh law enforcement community and of the unwavering support my family and I have received," she said.
During debate on the House floor Wednesday afternoon she thanked fellow lawmakers.
"Every single person has been so kind and supportive, and I wanted to let you know because I feel like in a lot of ways you've treated me like a member of your family and I feel safe here," she said.
She told the House that Pennsylvania police had arrested a suspect.
In a criminal complaint, authorities suggested Wade attacked Susan Wolfe when she was home alone, based on surveillance video from a transit bus Susan Wolfe rode home, other video from Sarah Wolfe's employer and home alarm records that enabled detectives to reconstruct some of the sisters' movements the night before they were found dead.
Susan Wolfe's body was found naked and doused with bleach and liquid detergent. Sarah Wolfe was likely killed when she returned home from work later that night, the video and alarm records suggest. She was found clothed but with a blanket over her head. Her purse had been emptied.
Police said the sisters' identification cards, credit and bank cards, keys and cellphones were missing. Police haven't commented on a motive for the killings.
Police also used surveillance video to track Wade's whereabouts after the slayings.
Police said Wade's DNA was found on sweatpants a man was seen removing from behind a muffler shop about 1 a.m. on Feb. 7. Police also found DNA from a male and a female under Susan Wolfe's fingernails, and lab tests determined Wade couldn't be excluded as a contributor to the mixture.
Other surveillance video showed Wade throwing something in a garbage can, where detectives found a pen with "Iowa" on it, police said. Federal firearms records show Wade has bought eight handguns since 1997, but they can't account for three of them. Police haven't discussed the type of gun used to kill the sisters.
Wade remained in police custody, awaiting arraignment Wednesday. Under Pennsylvania law, he cannot be released on bond because he's charged with homicide.
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