Man charged in young dad’s slaying

The answer that Julie Kerwood had been awaiting for nearly two months came in a 2 a.m. phone call last Thursday from Homicide Detective Aaron Booker.

The detective told the 28-year-old woman from the 2500 block of South Colorado Street that he had made an arrest in the May 5 slaying of her husband, Rob Kerwood, also 28.

Frank Jeffs, 51, of the 6000 block of Dicks Avenue in Southwest Philly, was charged with murder in Kerwood’s road-rage shooting, said Booker.

Jeffs, who has no prior record, is being held for court on charges of murder and possession of an instrument of crime.

Acting on information from someone close to the suspect, homicide detectives brought Jeffs in for questioning June 29. The Citizens Crime Commission had offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to the capture of the person or persons responsible for the slaying.

"I would like to thank whoever came forward," Julie Kerwood told the Review after the arrest.

Investigators were able to crack the case after the Kerwoods’ story appeared in several media outlets, said Booker. An interview with Julie Kerwood and Julia Kerwood, the victim’s mother, appeared in the June 16 South Philly Review and the June 17 Southwest Review.

Police said Jeffs gunned down Kerwood while he sat inside his silver Ford Expedition truck at the intersection of 61st Street and Eastwick Avenue. The victim allegedly cut Jeffs off, police said.

Jeffs allegedly shot at an unarmed Kerwood three times, said Assistant District Attorney Carmen Lineberger.

"It’s kind of hard to justify shooting somebody who is unarmed, and you’re in your own vehicle and the vehicle is right around the corner from a police station," Lineberger said.

In Jeffs’ statement, he claimed Kerwood was the instigator of the road-rage incident, said the prosecutor. Officials are still asking eyewitnesses to come forward. "Somebody saw it. It’s in broad daylight," she said.

For well over a month, the slaying puzzled police, but in a mid-June interview, Booker told the Review he thought road rage was a likely motive.

While the arrest offers some closure for Kerwood’s widow, the young woman grieves for the man with whom she shared three years.

The couple had two children – 2-year-old son Enzo and 4-month-old daughter Sienna – and were married in Las Vegas 11 days before Rob was killed.

Julie said she is "very happy" about the arrest.

"I thought that it would feel a lot different or make things a lot easier but it really hasn’t," she said, but added, "It is closure. Now at least I can stop playing it over and over in my head."

Melee in the park

Three men who tried to help another man as he was being punched and stabbed in FDR Park also were injured. Police arrested a teen and three young men.

Four men were beaten and stabbed and four others arrested when a brawl broke out during a Fourth of July celebration at FDR Park.

Three of the victims, ages 27, 25 and 23, were bystanders who had come to the aid of another victim, said Detective Joe Chiaro of South Detective Division.

Investigators did not know what sparked the melee shortly before 8 p.m.

The four suspects allegedly threw a 29-year-old male to the ground, where they kicked, beat and stabbed him in his head and hand, the detective said. That victim was taken to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.

Two of the bystanders noticed the commotion and walked over, and the third later joined them.

One of the attackers, armed with a knife, told the 27-year-old to get lost and when he didn’t, he allegedly stabbed him in his hand and head, Chiaro said. That victim was taken to Thomas Jefferson University Hospital.

As the 23-year-old turned to run, another aggressor bludgeoned him over the head with a skateboard and a large rock, police said. The victim needed stitches; he was taken to Jefferson Hospital.

The third Good Samaritan, 25, received a cut to his face when he tried to help and was taken to HUP.

All the victims were treated and released.

Investigators recovered a silver box cutter and a silver and black switchblade from two brothers who were charged, the detective said.

Arrested were a 17-year-old and his brother, James Wolfe, 20, from Wynnewood; Chris Smithson, 23, from the 7600 block of Malvern Street in Overbrook; and Timothy Curtis, 22, from the 400 block of Winton Street.

All were charged with aggravated and simple assault, recklessly endangering another person and possession of an instrument of crime.

Another Navy Yard shooting

A 24-year-old Darby man told police he heard gunshots while in the Navy Yard on Monday and then realized he had been hit in his leg.

Police did not know what the victim had been doing in the complex on the 5100 block of South Broad Street just after midnight, said Detective Joe Chiaro of South Detectives.

The victim was taken to Methodist Hospital in stable condition.

The shooting marked the second in the Navy Yard in two weeks. On June 26, a Cherry Hill, N.J., man was injured and arrested following a shootout with police, according to reports. The suspect, Joseph Canuso, 37, drove through the security checkpoint after allegedly threatening to shoot two security guards if they did not let him pass, police said. Canuso opened fire on two officers inside the complex when they tried to stop him, said police.

To report information, call South Detectives at 215-686-3013.

No fireworks, just gunfire

A gunman opened fire on a man after the victim parked his car on the 600 block of Fernon Street at about 11:20 p.m. Friday.

The 30-year-old man told investigators he heard what he thought were fireworks and then realized he had been shot in his left thigh, said Detective Joe Chiaro of South Detectives. The victim was taken to Jefferson Hospital in stable condition and the shooter remains at large.

To report information, call South Detectives at 215-686-3013.

Woman helps shooting victim

A South Philly woman came to a shooting victim’s aid after he was shot in the face at pointblank range on a Southwest street. The 22-year-old victim, of Southwest, suffered a superficial wound to his cheek in the June 24 shooting, said Lt. Frank Vanore of Southwest Detective Division.

The victim told investigators a man he claimed he did not know approached him on the 5400 block of Chester Avenue and shot him shortly after 2:30 p.m. In an attempt to escape further harm, the victim tried to jump into a stranger’s vehicle.

That’s when a woman from the 2500 block of Ritner Street, who had been driving in the area, spotted the victim and picked him up, police said.

The Good Samaritan drove the victim to HUP, where he was treated and released.

Police are having a tough time cracking the case based on limited information supplied by the victim, Vanore said.

To report information, call Southwest Detectives at 215-686-3183.

Thieves hungry for cash

Three armed men who held up a fast-food chicken joint on South Street opted for money over meat.

The males entered Kentucky Fried Chicken at 517 South St. at about 1:30 a.m. Saturday, said Detective Joe Chiaro of South Detectives.

With handguns aimed at several employees, the bandits demanded money from the cash registers, police said.

Nobody was injured but the trio cleaned the place out of more than $4,000, the detective said.

To report information, call South Detectives at 215-686-3013.