Southwest Philadelphia man charged in South Street slaying

A SOUTHWEST Philadelphia man has been charged in the murder of a popular disc jockey on South Street.

Josephe Murray, 18, of Reedland Street near 58th, was charged yesterday with murder, robbery and related offenses. Police said Murray fatally shot Tom Watson, 36, during a robbery Saturday as Watson entered his apartment on South Street near 3rd Street, above the Haagen-Dazs ice-cream store.

A second suspect remained at-large last night. Police had not given a description or identified that suspect.

Watson's body was found behind the counter in the ice-cream store, which he had to pass through to get to his apartment upstairs, by a friend who had dropped him off, friends said. Medics pronounced Watson dead at the scene at 3:37 a.m.

A police source said Monday that investigators recovered cocaine and marijuana in Watson's apartment. Although the source couldn't specify the amount of drugs recovered, the source said the drugs appeared to be a larger amount than for personal consumption. Police have not said whether the drugs played a role in the death.

Murray was arrested yesterday without incident. Police are believed to have identified Murray from video surveillance inside the ice-cream store.

Friends said Watson performed at local clubs as DJ Fenicx and was a cook at Tavern 222 on South Street. Jeff Zlupko, who called Watson his best friend, described him as a kind, caring person.

"I couldn't even tell you [of] a nicer person in the world," Zlupko said. "If you owed the bar $50 and he had $20 on him, he would borrow $30 to give to you."