Dog Walker Murdered: Three Teens Charged In Overbrook Shooting [Update]
A dog walker was murdered in Overbrook after pleading for his life. James Patrick Stuhlman, 51, was taking his Labradoodle, Molly, for a walk on the 6400 block of Woodcrest Avenue when he was stopped by three teenagers allegedly just finishing a game of basketball, as previously reported by the Inquisitr.
The three teens had allegedly stopped Stuhlman, who leaves behind a wife and young daughter, on Thursday, March 12 at around 8:30 p.m. They spotted him and told him his dog looked “weak or soft,” according to Philly News. After a brief struggle, Stuhlman pleaded for his life but was shot in the chest.
After the shooting, the teens allegedly panicked and left the scene. Philadelphia Police Captain James Clark remarked how Stuhlman wasn’t even robbed.
“Nothing … Nothing was taken, which makes this even more senseless and even more troubling. Nothing was taken at all, and he lost his life.”
Stuhlman was found on the ground, unresponsive, with the dog’s leash still in his hand. According to NBC News, Philadelphia Police Lieutenant John Walker said the dog was lying still, “scared and in shock.”
On March 18, police arrested two of the teens involved in shooting the dog walker and continued to search for who they believed was the actual gunman.
During a Thursday news conference, Clark issued a warning for the shooter, “Get with your parent and turn yourself in before we come and get you. We know where you are.”
On Friday night, the third teen turned himself in. His aunt, Takena Throes, told authorities that young Tyfine Halmilton had been off his medication during the Overbrook shooting.
The teens arrested earlier had been known for previous crimes, including robbery, and police had captured them on foot after canvassing the neighborhood. The youngest is allegedly cooperating with authorities and will be charged with lesser offenses. Brandon Smith, 15, was charged with murder as an adult, and Tyfine Hamilton, 15, was determined to be the one who pulled the trigger on the Overbrook dog walker.
#CBS3Exclusive: Teen murder suspect surrenders in fatal shooting of man walking his dog in Overbrook. @JanCarabeoCBS3 pic.twitter.com/wOZ6VmhY5G
— Steve Lindsay CBS (@SteveLindsayCBS) March 20, 2015
James Stuhlman’s daughter usually accompanied him on walks at night, but this time he’d decided against it. Police Captain James Clark told the press that Stuhlman’s daughter was lucky that night.
“His daughter goes for a walk with him almost every night. For whatever reason, he said to her, ‘it’s a little late tonight I don’t want you walking with me.’ So in effect, he may have saved his daughter’s life.”
Police still haven’t found the gun used in the Overbrook dog walker shooting, but the three teens allegedly involved have been arrested.
[Image via ABC News]
