Carrick man pleads guilty but mentally ill in killing of roommate

A Carrick man pleaded guilty but mentally ill Tuesday to thirddegree murder for killing his roommate nearly two years ago.

Joseph Martin, 37, will be sentenced by Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge Alexander P. Bicket on Sept. 8.

A plea will allow Martin to serve his prison term in a facility that can provide him mental health treatment.

Martin admitted that he killed his longtime roommate, Ricardo Tobia, 71, a voice instructor at Point Park University.

According to Deputy District Attorney Melissa Hong-Barco, police were asked by Martin’s sister to check on Mr. Tobia just after midnight on July 7, 2018.

When officers arrived at the home in the 500 block of Kirk Avenue, they found the front door open and smelled a foul odor from the porch.

Inside the house, they found Mr. Tobia, obviously deceased and partially decapitated, in a bedroom. His dog was also dead and appeared to have had its throat cut and was also shot in the head.

Mr. Tobia had numerous stab wounds to his neck and torso, Ms. Hong-Barco said. A sword and knife were found near the body in the bedroom, police said. There was blood on all four walls as well as on the ceiling. Blood and bloody prints were found throughout the house.

Martin’s mother, Margaret Martin, told police her son had

been treated for mental illness in the past, and between July 3 and 5 he had been in a “catatonic, nonlucid, unresponsive” state.

When Ms. Martin arrived home on July 5, her son was there. He was not wearing a shirt, had on filthy pants, and was sweating profusely and breathing heavily. He had two knives on him — and one tested positive for presumptive blood, Ms. HongBarco said.

Ms. Martin called 911, and her son was taken to Jefferson Hospital and admitted to the psychiatric unit.

When speaking with her son the next day, Ms. Martin said he told her he had been having nightmares and that “demons took over, and he thinks he hurt Rick.”

She called her daughter, who then called 911 to check on Mr. Tobia.

On July 9, Joseph Martin’s mother called police to her home and told them she had found a gun and bullets in his vehicle. There appeared to be blood smears on the box of ammunition. There was also a pair of shoes that appeared to have blood on them, Ms. Hong-Barco said.

During an interview with police the next day, Joseph Martin denied killing Mr. Tobia.

“The only thing I remember is Rick was acting funny and the neighbors across the street were screaming, ‘kill the zombie, kill the zombie.’ I said, ‘I can’t stand it, I’m going down to sleep.’ I went downstairs and went to sleep and woke up, all three cats were downstairs with me, and I just grabbed them and I said, ‘I’m getting the [expletive] out of here.’”

Joseph Martin was arrested that day.

He was at Torrance State Hospital from Oct. 4, 2018, until Feb. 27, 2019. He has remained at the Allegheny County Jail since then.