Police in Washington, D.C. have charged two women with first-degree murder for allegedly stabbing and beating a 53-year-old man to death and cutting off his thumb in order to steal his money.
Tiffany Taylor Gray, 22, and Audrey Denise Miller, 19, are currently in custody awaiting preliminary hearings in connection with the murder of Fasil Teklemariam, who was found dead in his apartment, missing his right thumb.
An unnamed witness who came forward to D.C. Metropolitan Police claims that Teklemariam was Gray’s “sugar daddy,” according to court documents obtained by multiple news outlets, and that she used Teklemariam’s severed digit to steal money from his online bank accounts.
Police found Teklemariam’s body on April 5 after concerned family members reported they hadn’t heard from the 53-year-old for several days. When investigators entered his apartment, they found Teklemariam dead with numerous stab wounds.
He had bone fractures on his head and his body was surrounded by broken glass. There were several cuts to his legs and stomach and the thumb on his right hand had been severed around the time Teklemariam was killed. Forensic examiners determined that the 53-year-old died from “multiple blunt force” and “sharp force injuries.”
It’s believed that Teklemariam died about two to five days before his body was found, which would place the day of his death as early as April 1.
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Between April 1 and April 5, security cameras in Teklemariam’s apartment building captured footage of 19-year-old Miller, 22-year-old Gray and two men entering and exiting the building carrying boxes to a car. Police believe the suspects used Teklemariam’s key fob to steal items from his apartment, including electronics and watches.
Three weeks after police discovered Teklemariam’s body, a witness came forward and identified Miller and Gray as the women in the surveillance videos. The witness claimed that they used Teklemariam’s thumb to obtain money from his account and Gray used the funds to pay for Ubers, alcohol and marijuana.
The witness also claimed that Teklemariam was Gray’s “sugar daddy” and that she had visited his apartment several times before his death.
Police learned that Teklemariam had filed a police complaint last year alleging that Gray had stolen his cellphone while the pair were on a date and used it to steal US$1,800 from his bank account via one of his cash apps.
Miller was the first suspect to be arrested on June 17 in Hagerstown, Maryland. She was extradited to D.C. on June 21. A week later, on July 1, Gray too was arrested.
A number of Teklemariam’s personal belongings are still missing, including his cellphone, tablet and other electronic devices. Police have not located his missing thumb.
Gray and Miller are both charged with armed felony murder in the first degree. Police are still looking for three more male suspects believed to have been involved.
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