In a case described as "bizarre and brutal," state police in Butler County yesterday charged a man and his female cousin with torturing and suffocating their roommate over a period of weeks and then dumping his charred body in a trash bin.

	Bob Donaldson, Post-Gazette Downstairs neighbor, William Fair II, became accustomed to the booming hip hop music and the regular back-and-forth yelling that came from the upstairs apartment late at night. The house is shown in the background. Click photo for larger image.

Timothy James Caldwell, 29, told state police he was punishing Jason Michael Ritzert, 30, for pocketing some money.

Mr. Caldwell and his cousin, Melissa Ann Adams, 24, were charged with criminal homicide, aggravated assault, abuse of a corpse, forgery, theft by deception and criminal conspiracy.

State police Captain Robert Lizik said Caldwell and Adams are accused of "punishing" Mr. Ritzert by hitting him and burning his hands over a period of several weeks. Then, one day in early November, police said, they soaked his shirt in lighter fluid, forced him into a bathtub and set him on fire.

Police said he lay for a week on a bed in the upstairs unit on West Quarry Street the trio shared, his burn wounds oozing, until Caldwell stepped on his throat and held his foot there for 10 minutes on Nov. 10.

Afterward, the couple, aided by a friend who has not been arrested, transported Mr. Ritzert's body in a meat truck to a Dumpster behind a warehouse in Summit Township and burned the body there.

Mr. Ritzert's charred remains were found the next day in the Dumpster behind MHF Inc. warehouse on East Butler Road by employees.

Mr. Ritzert's body was not identified until last Thursday when his parents, Doug and Bonnie Ritzert of the Evans City area, called police.

Dental records were used to make a positive identification.

"Their grief is beyond words," said Assistant District Attorney Randa Clark.

Police said that Mr. Ritzert was disabled and was receiving monthly Social Security checks. A friend, Billie Jo Wickline, 30, of Slippery Rock, who said she was in special education classes with Mr. Ritzert in the seventh grade in the Butler Area School District, described him as slow.

Police charged Ms. Adams and Mr. Caldwell with cashing Mr. Ritzert's SSI checks following his death.

Mr. Caldwell told police he had met Mr. Ritzert in October 2004. According to court records, Mr. Caldwell was released on Oct. 20, 2004, from Westmoreland County Jail. He had pleaded guilty in two separate cases to making bomb threats at Torrance State Hospital in Derry Township in 2001 and 2002, where he had been a patient since 1997.

Butler County court authorities verified that Mr. Caldwell, who had been raised by his aunt and uncle, had been found delinquent when he was 15 years old and remained in placement until he was committed to Torrance when he turned 21.

He remained there until he went to jail for the bomb threats, was released briefly, then was jailed again for a technical parole violation in April 2003. After serving the remainder of his time, he was released from jail then returned to Butler.

William Fair II, 39, and Jean Fair, 31, who live in the downstairs unit, 122A W. Quarry St., said Ms. Adams rented the apartment on the top two floors in September of 2003.

Police said Mr. Caldwell and Mr. Ritzert moved in with Ms. Adams soon after the two men met. Mr. Fair said the three also had three dogs and a cat.

Friends and neighbors said Mr. Ritzert was often seen around town accompanied by either Mr. Caldwell or Ms. Adams.

"Anytime Jason went anywhere he had a walkie-talkie" so he and Mr. Caldwell could maintain contact, Mr. Fair said.

The Fairs became accustomed to the regular back-and-forth yelling that came from the upstairs apartment late at night. Mr. Fair would hear them yelling, "JA-son, JA-son, JA-son!" whenever Mr. Ritzert did something to upset the cousins. On occasion it sounded as if they were throwing furniture at each other, he said.

One of the roommates, he said, installed surveillance cameras and posted homemade warning signs outside the building after one of their dogs was doused with blue paint.

During the summer of 2005, Mr. Caldwell told police, he began to discover money missing and he accused Mr. Ritzert of stealing it.

Mr. Caldwell told police he punished his roommate initially by hitting him in the face, behavior that neighbors also observed. Dennis Milton, who lives across the street from Mr. Caldwell, said he saw Mr. Caldwell more than once slap Mr. Ritzert in public with little provocation.

Mr. Caldwell said he increased the punishments after discovering other thefts. He told police he poured lighter fluid on Mr. Ritzert's hands and set fire to them on three occasions, the last occurring in early November. That's when Mr. Caldwell said he soaked Mr. Ritzert's shirt with lighter fluid, put it on Mr. Ritzert, forced him into the bathtub, then set him on fire.

"Caldwell described the burns as deep blisters covering his upper body, skin burned away, hair on head partially burned, and moisture emanating from the wounds,'' according to a police affidavit. Mr. Ritzert was placed in a bed where he remained for about one week.

Then, on Nov. 10, Mr. Caldwell told police, Mr. Ritzert became unresponsive. "Caldwell stated he was upset with himself and because he was upset he kicked Ritzert to the ribs as he laid on the floor... He placed his foot on the chest and neck of Ritzert and applied a constant pressure for approximately five to 10 minutes,'' according to the affidavit.

Mr. Caldwell said Ms. Adams was present when Mr. Ritzert was burned.

Capt. Lizik said the roommates told anyone who inquired that their roommate had returned home to his parents.

Ms. Adams has no police record. Neighbors said she has a 1-year-old daughter who is being raised by her mother.

Mr. Ritzert's parents had no comment.

Mr. Caldwell and Ms. Adams are being held without bond in Butler County Prison.

Their preliminary hearing is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Dec. 16 before District Judge Pete Shaffer of Butler.