A life forever altered

Keo Poe should have been in jail, serving a two- to four-year term for drug dealing, resisting arrest and other charges stemming from a February 2004 conviction, said a representative of the District Attorney’s Office.

Instead, the 24-year-old, who was on probation for another case at the time of the 2004 conviction, allegedly paid a visit to his ex-girlfriend’s residence at about 2 a.m. Aug. 3 and savagely beat her.

A week later, Poe, from the 2500 block of South Sixth Street, is in prison on charges stemming from the alleged attack on his ex-girlfriend.

His 26-year-old ex is where no person should be: being weaned from a medically induced coma with internal injuries, as well as severe injuries to her face.

The woman’s stepfather, Marino Morrone, said her face was so badly beaten he could not bear to look at her. His wife and the woman’s mother, Marie, has kept constant vigil by her daughter’s bedside.

"I’m angry that a man could do that to a girl," said Morrone. "There’s no reason why anybody should beat somebody. It wasn’t just a beating – he was trying to kill her."

Poe’s sister declined to comment for this article.

Police found the bruised and bloodied woman semi-conscious and partially clad at about 2:20 a.m. on the 1900 block of Ritner Street. A man later identified as Poe was with the woman, but when police attempted to interview him, he fled, said Inspector Bill Colarulo of the Police Public Affairs Unit. The woman’s dwelling also was ransacked with Poe allegedly forcing his way in through a front window, police said.

The woman suffered cuts to her face, head and body, as well as rib fractures, a lacerated liver and a punctured lung, said Colarulo.

"She was beaten so severely it was difficult to establish her race at the time," the inspector said.

Investigators do not know if the lacerations were from a knife or some other object. Police also found a cable wire wrapped around the woman’s right arm, and there were ligature marks on her throat, said Colarulo.

A medic took the woman to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania where she was admitted in critical condition.

Morrone’s stepdaughter was weaned off a medically induced coma earlier this week, but is still in the Intensive Care Unit and on a ventilator.

"That’s all good news, but she still may have brain damage. It could take years of therapy," he said.

DETECTIVES FROM THE Special Victims Unit arrested Poe at about 5 p.m. Thursday and charged him with attempted murder, aggravated assault, simple assault, burglary, recklessly endangering another person, criminal trespass, criminal mischief, possession of an instrument of crime, unlawful restraint, false imprisonment, false identification to law enforcement and false reports. He was arraigned last Friday on all charges and his preliminary hearing is today.

Neither a representative of the District Attorney’s Office nor police could explain why Poe was released after his February 2004 sentence for drug possession, resisting arrest and use of a communication facility. At the time of that conviction, he was serving five years probation from an Oct. 7, 2002, guilty plea to terroristic threats, unlawful restraint and simple assault, said District Attorney’s Office spokeswoman Cathie Abookire. The 2002 and 2004 cases stemmed from incidents in the Fourth Police District, Abookire said.

Morrone described his stepdaughter as a "typical South Philly girl" who was into fashion, music and going out with friends.

According to Morrone, Poe and his stepdaughter dated for about six months. He did not know how the two met, but added he did not think the relationship was serious, though the woman did express interest in bringing Poe home to meet her family.

According to Morrone, last week was not the first time Poe had laid hands on his stepdaughter. Two months prior, Poe allegedly beat her, after which Morrone brought the woman back to her family’s New Jersey home. At least one other time before that alleged incident, Poe gave the woman a black eye, Morrone said.

In attempting to find out if police were called to the woman’s dwelling in the past for any reason, Deputy Commissioner Patricia Giorgio-Fox said that information could not be released because it was a private residence, said Cpl. Jim Pauley of the Police Public Affairs Unit. According to the corporal, the department can only release police response records on public places.