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Alleged crossbow killer of new wife was under court order to avoid ex-wife, kids

On Friday, two days before Paul Kuzan allegedly killed his new wife with a crossbow in their Northeast Philadelphia home, the couple traveled to Carbon County, Pa., for a court hearing.

Paul Kuzan is accused of killing his new wife, Pamela Nightlinger, with a crossbow. His ex-wife had a
restraining order.
Paul Kuzan is accused of killing his new wife, Pamela Nightlinger, with a crossbow. His ex-wife had a restraining order.Read morevia Facebook

On Friday, two days before Paul Kuzan allegedly killed his new wife with a crossbow in their Northeast Philadelphia home, the couple traveled to Carbon County, Pa., for a court hearing.

There, a judge granted a six-month extension on a protection-from-abuse order that Kuzan's ex-wife had filed against him June 13 on behalf of herself and their two children.

Given the ruling, his ex-wife's father, Richard Orr, said, he was sure that Kuzan, 41, would try to kill his daughter and grandchildren. Instead, on Sunday, Kuzan killed his new wife, Pamela Nightlinger, 42, police said.

"I know the man - that's why I sat my daughter down at my kitchen table Friday night [after the hearing] and told her that somebody is going to be killed, because I knew this man was going to go off," Orr said Wednesday. "I never imagined he'd go off on his wife. This I still can't believe."

Orr didn't keep his fears to himself. On Friday evening, he phoned Northeast Philadelphia's Eighth Police District and said he believed that his ex-son-in-law had weapons in his home and was dangerous.

Orr said police directed him to call the Philadelphia Sheriff's Office, but by that time it was after 4:30 p.m. and the phone "just rang and rang and rang" with no answer, he said.

"I feel like if I would have been more of a thorn in their side, this woman could have been alive," Orr said.

But officials with the Sheriff's Office and the Police Department said there is little they could have done.

Sheriff's Office Capt. Vernon Muse said authorities are not permitted to enter someone's home to check for weapons.

"If someone says so-and-so has a weapon at his house, what can I do by law?" Muse said. "You can't go into someone's house and take their weapon. . . . We have no legal grounds to search his house - that would be totally illegal."

Muse said his office received the protection-from-abuse order from Carbon County via fax June 13, and deputies served it that day. Under the order, Kuzan lost his child visitation rights. Deputies removed Kuzan's children from his home, where they had been visiting, and returned them to their mother's custody, Muse said.

Orr said his daughter had obtained the order - a copy of which was provided to Philadelphia Media Network - because Kuzan allegedly hit their daughter after he found out that she'd told her mother that Kuzan had fallen asleep while driving.

Pamela Nightlinger's ex-husband, James Nightlinger, with whom she had two daughters, said they also told him that Kuzan recently had fallen asleep at the wheel.

farrs@phillynews.com 215-854-4225

@FarFarrAway