Man Accused of Murdering Doctor Has Hearing

“Please stop, please stop. I’m sorry. I’ll do whatever you want.”

Those were some of the final words Dr. Melissa Ketunuti, 35, said as she was choked to death, then set on fire in the basement of her Center City, Philadelphia home on January 21, according to a statement her alleged murderer, Jason Smith, gave to police.

Smith, 36, of Crescent Lane in the Levittown section of Bristol Township, will face trial on charges of murder, arson and related charges, according to a Philly.com account of Wednesday’s preliminary hearing in Philadelphia court.

6abc.com said that Smith will be arraigned for trial next month.

According to testimony released by authorities, Smith said Ketunuti “didn’t like how I was doing my job.” Moments later, he told investigators he strangled the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia doctor with a pair of red and black work gloves and tied her up. He then dropped a burning paper towel into a box near her head and started a fire, authorities said.

A PhillyBurbs.com report quotes authorities as saying the victim was dead by the time she was set ablaze.

Philadelphia police said a dog walker coming to Ketunuti’s townhome found the murder scene.

Here is what Smith told police:

Q. Can you tell us in your own words what you know about the death of Melissa Ketunuti?

A. I went to her house to do an exterminating job for mice. Her dog kept bothering me so I told her to put the dog outside. She didn’t seem happy about that. So I did my job in the upstairs where the kitchen area is. I went downstairs to the basement. I saw that the basement needed a lot of work. There were a lot of holes down there. I told her to come downstairs so I could show her. She didn’t like what I had to say about her basement, that all these things had to be fixed. She didn’t like how I was doing my job. She wanted me to foam the entire basement. That didn’t make any sense. She said that’s what I’m paying you for. I told her that I didn’t have enough material to foam the whole basement and that I wasn’t going to do it. She wouldn’t move out of the way. She said that I shouldn’t be an exterminator, that I didn’t know what I was doing. I grabbed her and moved her out of the way. I grabbed her by the neck and started choking her. I realized there was blood on the ground. I let go of her. I saw the ropes that were on the shelf. I tied her up. Then I set her on fire. I grabbed my [expletive] and ran out of there.

Smith then told detectives he walked back to his work truck, drove by her house and headed to another job in New Jersey, according to testimony released by police.

Smith was arrested two days after the murder by Bristol Township police, state police and U.S. Federal Marshals. Smith’s dog charged at state troopers and was shot dead outside the modest Crabtree section home.

The 36-year-old shared the two-story Crescent Drive home with his fiance, his child, her young daughter and other family members.

Family told reporters Smith was “troubled,” and his next-door neighbor said he was a nice guy.

Smith was a subcontractor for a Newtown-based pest exterminator. Reviews on AngiesList.com gave the company, including an employee named Jason, favorable reviews.

According to court records, Smith has a record of relatively minor traffic offenses. In one case, he was busted by Bristol Township police on his birthday in 2004 after he was found to be under the influence and in possession of drugs.

In 2012, the 36-year-old was arrested by state troopers after he exposed himself while traveling on I-95 in Bensalem during a road rage incident. Court records show Smith plead guilty and paid a $289 fine.

During question with police, Smith showed remorse for the events of that winter afternoon in the basement of a brick-faced Center City townhome.

“I’m sorry. I just wish I could take it all back. Since that day I keep waking up and thinking it was all a bad dream,” he said.