Police: 2 Philly men killed a female relative -- one his mother, the other his sister -- in separate incidents
One man allegedly killed his mother, the other his sister.
Two men have been arrested and charged with the murder of family members in separate attacks last week, police said Monday. One man allegedly killed his mother, the other his sister.
The most recent slaying occurred Saturday afternoon when, police said, Rashawn Freeman, 26, repeatedly stabbed his mother, Carla, 56, in their home on the 7200 block of Briar Road in West Oak Lane.
The woman died there and police immediately took the son into custody.
Freeman has been charged with murder and possession of an instrument of a crime, police said. They did not disclose a motive in the slaying.
About 9:30 p.m. Thursday, police responded to a call for “a burglary in progress” and “person screaming” in a residence on the 2600 block of North 33rd Street in Strawberry Mansion.
Inside, officers found Vera Coward suffering from multiple gunshot wounds in a vestibule, police said. As they were preparing to take her to a hospital, a man emerged from a room behind her and was held for questioning.
Coward died a short time later at Temple University Hospital, police said.
The man was later identified as her brother Wallace, 65, of the 4800 block of North Fifth Street in Olney. After questioning, he was charged with murder, burglary, and weapons offenses.
According to court records, Wallace Coward had been arrested on July 22, three days before the slaying, and released on $250 bail after being charged with making terroristic threats. The court records did not identify the target of the alleged threats.