PHILADELPHIA — A 78-year-old man who was brutally beaten inside his South Philadelphia home earlier this month has died from his injuries, prompting upgraded charges against the suspect, police said.
Santo Procopio was found with severe head and facial injuries on the night of Monday, December 2, after officers from the 3rd District responded to reports of a person screaming on the 2600 block of South 10th Street around 7:33 p.m.
When police arrived, they located Procopio inside his home and immediately transported him to Jefferson University Hospital, where he was listed in critical condition.
A witness at the scene identified the suspect as 38-year-old Michael Piselli, describing him to officers who later found and arrested him nearby without incident. Piselli was taken to the Special Detention Division for processing.
According to investigators, Piselli had been behaving erratically in the rear yard of the residence before locking the witness outside, entering the home, and attacking Procopio. The witness observed the assault through a window, telling officers Piselli repeatedly struck the elderly man as he lay on the kitchen floor.
Procopio suffered multiple facial fractures, head lacerations, and bleeding on the brain. He remained hospitalized for nearly two weeks before succumbing to his injuries on Saturday, December 14, at 5:57 p.m.
The Philadelphia Police Department’s Homicide Unit has assumed control of the case. Charges against Piselli will be upgraded to murder and related offenses.