An alleged hitman was charged with four murders Wednesday that took place over a nine month period in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
“Steven Williams, 25, of the 6900 block of Ogontz Avenue, was behind bars for unrelated crimes at SCI Mahanoy in Schuylkill County when detectives brought him back to Philadelphia on Wednesday and charged him with the string of slayings,” the Philadelphia Inquirer reported.
Police said the killings took place from September 2018 through May 2019 and that the suspect was paid thousands of dollars to execute four men who were linked only by how they died and who killed them.
The Inquirer report continued:
William Crawford, 35, was gunned down while getting out of his car in Rhawnhurst; Jermaine Simmons, 39, was shot dead while sitting in a parked car in West Oak Lane; Richard Isaac, 31, was shot in the head and chest while sitting on the front porch of a home in East Mount Airy; and Leslie Carrol, 46, was slain while sitting in his son’s car with the engine running in Francisville.
Following a complex investigation by homicide detectives, Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner announced Friday that his office would begin Williams’ prosecution.
“His streak of wanton, violent crimes against our communities over the past two-plus years ends today,” Krasner said, adding that he was thankful to the Philadelphia Police Department and his office’s Homicide Unit for their work on the case.
“Despite the closure of most court functions, we will proceed as quickly as possible to bring him to justice, and to support those who have been mourning his victims for years,” he continued.
The announcement noted:
The District Attorney’s Office (DAO) has charged Williams with four counts of: Murder, Conspiracy (F1), Hindering Apprehension (F3), Possessing an Instrument of Crime (M1), Recklessly Endangering Another Person (M2), Tampering with Evidence (M2), Obstruction of Justice (M2), and related weapons charges.
Online court records indicated that the suspect was denied bail, according to CBS Philly.