Arrest Made, Charges Filed In September Brutal Delco Murder

A Philadelphia man has been arrested and charged in connection with the gruesome Delaware County murder of Natasha Gibson.

Delaware County District Attorney Jack Whelan and Yeadon Borough Police Chief Donald Molineux announced Wednesday Byron Shamor Allen Jr., 36, of Philadelphia, was arrested and charged with first, second and third- degree murder, criminal homicide, robbery and possessing instruments of crime.

Allen is accused of killing 32-year-old Gibson on Sept. 22 in Yeadon.

Gibson was found to have her throat cut several times.

“We believe Byron Allen randomly selected this young innocent woman as his victim, following her in the dark of night and ruthlessly stabbing her multiple times on the front steps of her friend’s home,” Whelan said in a statement. “Natasha Gibson’s life was senselessly taken in cold blood. As the result of excellent investigative work conducted by Det. Jay and Det. Houghton along with the Yeadon Borough Police Department and our Criminal Investigation Division, Byron Allen is now behind bars facing first-degree murder charges.”

Allen was arrested and charged after a joint investigation by YeadonBorough Police, Delaware County Criminal Investigative Division, and Philadelphia Police Department Special Victims Unit, the DA's office said.

Detectives located a surveillance system at the 400 block of Church Lane in Yeadon and saw a single black male in the murder's vicinity wearing a t-shirt and baseball cap, according to the DA's office.

The male was also carrying an object in his left hand which resembled a baseball bat, the DA's office said.

While processing the crime scene, Officer Smith and assisting police officers followed a trail of blood moving away from the crime scene and traveling west on Baily Road to Bonsall Avenue and then the blood trail continued east bound on Baltimore Avenue and into Philadelphia, the DA's office said.

A Philadelphia k-9 unit tracked blood drops to a sewer inlet located at 61st and Baltimore Avenue where a large pool of blood and a bloody knife were found.

Detectives followed the blood trail to a convenience store located on the 5800 block of Catharine Street where detectives reviewed the store's surveillance system and observed the same male captured earlier on surveillance at 400 block of Church Lane in Yeadon, the DA's office said.

It was apparent that the male was bleeding from his right hand and it appeared that he was missing the tip of the middle finger of his right hand. Detectives learned that the male purchased a 16oz. can of beer and left the store traveling west bound on Catharine Street towards 59th Street, according to the DA's office.

Detectives then found the victim's ID cards within a nearby sewer inlet as well as her purse, which was found in the bushes along the fence line at 6250 Baltimore Ave.

On Sept. 23, detectives searched the parking lot of 6250 Baltimore Avenue and found a bloody baseball bat along the fence line, the DA's office said.

On Dec. 12, authorities matched DNA from the knife and from crime scene to Allen, the DA's office said.

Allen being held without bail in the Delaware County Jail and is slated to appear before Magisterial District Judge W. Keith Williams II on Feb. 8 for his preliminary hearing, court records show.

Image via Delaware County District Attorney's Office