Gun In Wayne Wawa Murder Bought Legally Just Days Before: Report

WAYNE, PA — A new report says the gun used to kill 37-year-old Stephanie Miller inside a Wayne Wawa was bought legally and just days before the shooting.

Philly.com reports Brian Kennedy, 34, legally bought an AR-15 style rifle on March 16, about two weeks before the deadly shooting that occurred on March 28 at the Wawa located at Old Sugartown and Morris roads in the Wayne section of Radnor Township.

According to the outlet, Kennedy, of Devon, passed an instant background check and went home with the rifle on March 16.

Pennsylvania's Uniform Firearms Act, residents who have been convicted of serious crimes are legally prohibited from owning firearms.

Despite Kennedy pleading guilty to a 2016 harassment charge in Delaware County and being the subject of a protection from abuse order on Miller's behalf, he was legally able to purchase the weapon. The protection from abuse order expired in September 2018.

Miller's boyfriend who planned to propose to her, Michael D'Arco, said he, Miller, and the child Miller and Kennedy shared custody of lived in fear of Kennedy.

"Every day we lived in fear that he would come to kill us," he told the NBC10.

Delaware County District Attorney Katayoun Copeland said Kennedy and Miller had planned a meeting at the Wawa to exchange custody of their 6-year-old son.

However, around 8:20 p.m., Kennedy showed up not with their son, but with a rifle, Copeland said.
Miller died from gunshot wounds to the head and torso. Authorities arrested Kennedy about two hours later in Thornbury Park, Radnor Police said.

Kennedy has been charged with homicide, first- and third-degree murder, possession of an instrument of crime, and recklessly endangering another person, court records show.

Kennedy is being held without bail and is slated for a preliminary hearing on April 18, court records show.

A GoFundMe campaign has been launched to support their son. As of noon on April 5, the $25,000 goal has been eclipsed with more than 460 people donating $38,227.

"Stephanie was a very proud occupational therapist; helping the elderly as well as children with special needs. Our loss cannot be stated in words, but she will be remembered by the lives she changed for the better," her loved ones wrote on the fundraising page.