Authorities in Bucks County say three members of the Castiglia family were stabbed to death inside their Churchville home over the course of two days, leading to the arrest and charging of Kevin Castiglia, 55. Bucks County District Attorney Joe Khan said Kevin Castiglia is charged with killing his parents, Fred Castiglia, 90, and Judith Castiglia, 84, along with his sister, Deborah Castiglia, 53, inside the family’s residence on Heather Road in the Churchville section of Northampton Township.
Investigators believe Fred and Judith Castiglia were stabbed Friday night while they were sleeping in their beds. Prosecutors say Deborah Castiglia was killed the following day after she went to the home. The Bucks County Coroner’s Office reported that preliminary findings show all three victims died from stab wounds. Deputy District Attorney Monica W. Furber said investigators have recovered one knife they believe was used during the killings.
Police first became involved after Deborah Castiglia’s boyfriend grew worried when he was unable to reach her for several days. He went to the Heather Road home and observed that her car was parked outside, but there were no footprints in the snow that had fallen on Sunday. When he returned again, Kevin Castiglia answered the door and told him Deborah was “probably on vacation.” According to court documents, Kevin Castiglia then came to the door holding a knife and told the boyfriend, “Don’t ever come here again, or I will kill you.” Prosecutors later described the knife as a “Psycho-style chef’s knife.” The boyfriend left the area and called 911.
Officers were sent to the home at about 2:15 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 26, 2026, to conduct a welfare check. Police said Kevin Castiglia confronted them at the door while holding two knives, one of which appeared to have blood on it. Officers reported that he was speaking incoherently and pointed the knives toward them when they asked about his family. Tasers were deployed, but Kevin Castiglia pulled the probes out of his body, closed the door, and locked it.
He then barricaded himself inside a second-floor bedroom, leading to a standoff that lasted approximately five hours in bitter cold weather. The South Central Emergency Response Team was called to the scene and later entered the home. Inside, officers found a woman believed to be Deborah Castiglia dead in the kitchen. They subsequently located Fred and Judith Castiglia deceased in a rear bedroom.
Kevin Castiglia was taken into custody around 8 p.m. and transported to a local hospital. Authorities did not release details about how officers secured his arrest. Court documents state that while at the hospital, Kevin Castiglia told a doctor, “I hurt someone.” About two hours later, he told hospital staff, “I killed my parents in their sleep” and “I killed my sister when she found them.” After being released from the hospital and taken to police headquarters, investigators said he again confessed to stabbing Fred, Judith, and Deborah Castiglia to death.
Kevin Castiglia has been charged with three counts of criminal homicide, abuse of a corpse, and several additional offenses. He is being held without bail. Prosecutors said an attorney has not yet been appointed to represent him, and investigators said they are not commenting on a possible motive. Khan said authorities believe the incident was isolated and that there is no continuing threat to the public.
Khan also praised the actions of Northampton Township police and the South Central Emergency Response Team during the standoff. “Despite being confronted by an armed individual, under excruciatingly difficult circumstances for roughly five hours in the bitter cold, officers utilized every tactical resource available to take the suspect into custody alive, preventing further tragedy,” he said.
Deborah Castiglia’s death has had a major impact on the Centennial School District, where she spent 26 years as an educator. Khan described her as “a beloved math teacher.” Centennial School District Superintendent Abram Lucabaugh said in a letter to families that she began teaching math at Klinger Middle School in 1999 and transferred to William Tennent High School in 2018. He wrote that she served students “with dedication, care, and compassion,” adding, “Her loss is profoundly felt across our school community.” Deborah Castiglia also coached girls’ volleyball and softball during her career.
Former student Taylor Dailey said Deborah Castiglia supported her during her junior year at William Tennent High School in Warminster. “She was just really sweet; she didn’t deserve anything that just happened,” Dailey said. She recalled struggling with confidence at the time and said Castiglia encouraged her throughout the school year. “I didn’t really have the self-esteem and confidence to continue doing my schoolwork, but throughout that entire year, she was very supportive, and she saw potential in me,” Dailey said. “She wasn’t rude, she never raised her voice, and she treated all of us as if we were her children.”
Lucabaugh said the district activated crisis response teams and made counseling and support services available to students and staff. Therapy dogs were scheduled to be available at both Klinger Middle School and William Tennent High School, and additional support personnel were planned to be present when students returned to school.
Neighbors told investigators that Kevin Castiglia lived in the Heather Road home with his parents. Deborah Castiglia was from Plumstead Township, graduated from Council Rock High School, and had an adult daughter named Hannah, according to people who knew her. Public records show she previously lived in the Croydon section of Bristol Township before moving to Central Bucks County.
A verified GoFundMe fundraiser has been created to help the Castiglia family with expenses, and it includes a photo of Judith and Fred Castiglia. Information about the parents’ lives and funeral arrangements had not been released.
