Police say suspect stole victim’s car and used his debit card days after killing.
PHILADELPHIA, PA – A 52-year-old man has been charged in connection with the brutal stabbing death of a 93-year-old resident inside his Logan home earlier this month, Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner announced Monday.
The defendant, Coy Thomas, faces charges of murder, robbery, theft, possession of an instrument of crime, and unauthorized use of a vehicle in the killing of Lafayette Dailey, a longtime neighborhood resident found dead on December 5 inside his North 16th Street home.
Victim found dead after days of concern
Authorities said police were called to the 4500 block of North 16th Street around 3 p.m. on December 5 after family members and neighbors reported not seeing Dailey for several days. When officers entered the home, they found the 93-year-old suffering from head trauma and multiple stab wounds to his chest. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Investigators also discovered that Dailey’s white Chrysler 300 was missing from outside the residence. His niece told detectives she was alerted by a neighbor who hadn’t seen him since earlier in the week, while staff at the senior center Dailey attended daily confirmed his unexplained absence.
Surveillance footage and stolen car lead to arrest
Detectives reviewing city surveillance cameras found video from the morning of December 3, showing a man later identified as Thomas walking onto Dailey’s porch at 11 a.m., wearing a black jacket, white hoodie, red sweatpants, and white sneakers. Ten minutes later, the same man was seen driving away in Dailey’s Chrysler, heading north on 16th Street.
On December 8, investigators learned that unauthorized transactions had been attempted using Dailey’s debit card. The following day, officers found the stolen Chrysler abandoned on the 2500 block of West Hagert Street. Later that evening, police received a call from a man claiming he had purchased the vehicle from Thomas for $900.
Thomas was taken into custody shortly thereafter and charged with murder and related offenses. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for December 29.
Officials credit collaboration and surveillance work
District Attorney Krasner commended investigators for their swift response and coordination. “The collaboration between the community, public servants, and law enforcement agents in our city is a testament to the historic decrease in homicides Philadelphia is experiencing today,” Krasner said.
Assistant District Attorney Ashley Toczylowski, of the DAO’s Homicide and Non-Fatal Shootings Unit, credited homicide detectives for “exceptional work” using surveillance video, license plate tracking, and forensic evidence to tie Thomas to the crime.
Community leaders call for vigilance
State Senator Sharif Street, who represents the district where the killing occurred, called Dailey’s murder “callous and senseless,” describing the victim as “a staple to his family, friends, and community.”
“It shouldn’t be the case that Mr. Dailey, a 93-year-old who gave so much to this city, is murdered right in his own home,” Street said. “I urge residents to work with police and the District Attorney’s Office to bring violent offenders like Coy Thomas to justice.”
The Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office said the case remains under active investigation.
