DINGMAN TOWNSHIP, PA – A Pennsylvania man accused of killing his wife in 2024 was arrested this week in Colorado, ending a prolonged period of uncertainty in a case that investigators now say was initially misinterpreted as a suicide. Anthony Kistle, 45, faces charges including criminal homicide, theft by unlawful taking involving a firearm, and theft by unlawful taking of a motor vehicle, according to Pennsylvania State Police.
Karen Kistle, 61, was found at her Vandien Court home in May 2024 with a gunshot wound. She died as paramedics attempted to airlift her to Geisinger Community Medical Center in Scranton. At the time, authorities indicated the death may have been self-inflicted, and little public movement followed in the investigation for months.
Investigation shifts from suicide to homicide
In a statement released Thursday, Pennsylvania State Police said, “Evidence gathered at the scene, witness interviews, forensic examination and subsequent investigative findings concluded that Karen Kistle’s death was the result of a homicide rather than a self-inflicted gunshot wound.” The agency said the case evolved through a multi-agency investigation that re-examined initial assumptions and forensic evidence.
The arrest came Tuesday morning during a traffic stop on Interstate 25 near Castle Pines, Colorado, about 20 miles south of Denver. The Colorado Bureau of Investigation identified Kistle as “[a] murder suspect wanted in Pennsylvania for a 2024 homicide” in a brief release.
Kistle is currently being held in Colorado and is expected to be extradited to Pike County to face the charges.
Friends questioned early conclusions
For friends and co-workers of Karen Kistle, the early classification of her death as a possible suicide raised immediate doubts. One friend told Colorado Springs-based ABC affiliate KRDO, “I cannot imagine how you can take a gun and hold a gun in a position,” citing the victim’s carpal tunnel condition in both hands from years of work at a ShopRite supermarket.
That same friend also questioned why Karen Kistle would have used her husband’s firearm rather than her own.
Another friend and former co-worker told KRDO that the lack of updates over time led many to fear the case would not move forward. “A lot of us, we’re pretty hopeless that anything was going to be done because nothing was being said in New Jersey or Pennsylvania, where she lived,” the second friend said. “So we just assume that the cops were investigating.”
The passage of time without an arrest added to concerns. “We really want, you know, all her friends want justice,” the friend continued. “You know, justice for Karen. Because we don’t feel that she really got it, you know?”
The case is now expected to proceed in Pennsylvania following Kistle’s extradition.
