A Brookhaven man shot his ex-girlfriend and left her for dead on a Chester walking trail, police say

A Brookhaven man lured his ex-girlfriend to a secluded walking trail along the Chester waterfront in October 2020, then shot her in the head and left her for dead, prosecutors in Delaware County said Monday.

Champion Hough, 25, has been charged with first-, second-, and third-degree murder in the death of Naima Ishmail, also 25, as well as theft for allegedly stealing Ishmail’s car to flee the scene, according to the affidavit of probable cause for Hough’s arrest.

Recent DNA results linked Hough to the murder, and the charges were filed against him early Monday, court records show. He remained in custody, denied bail. There was no indication he had hired an attorney.

Delaware County District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer called Ishmail’s killing “a premeditated, heinous act of violence.”

A passerby found Ishmail lying on the trail near Front and Norris Streets in Chester on October 7, 2020, the affidavit said. She had been shot once in the head, and was pronounced dead at the scene.

A friend of Ishmail’s later told detectives that they had planned to meet that day but Ishmail cancelled at the last minute, according to the affidavit. That person — who is not named in court filings — told detectives Ishmail used to date Hough, and that they still saw each other frequently.

Surveillance from a home near Hough’s in Brookhaven recorded Ishmail picking him up in her gold Chrysler 300, the affidavit said. That vehicle was later recovered in Chester, and gunshot residue was later found on the car’s steering wheel and gear shift.

Hough was brought in for questioning by county detectives in November, and submitted DNA to be tested, the affidavit said.

On Thursday, the results from the test showed Hough’s DNA was present in Hough’s vehicle, and his arrest warrant was signed.