District Attorney Krasner Announces Charges for January Domestic Homicide, Double Homicide

CONTACT:
Jane Roh, 215–686–8711, Jane.Roh@phila.gov

PHILADELPHIA (March 10, 2021) — District Attorney Larry Krasner on Wednesday praised Philadelphia Police detectives for solving three seemingly unrelated murders that took place on January 20, 2021. The District Attorney’s Office (DAO) filed three counts of Murder and related charges against Donald Tillman (DOB: 9/19/1984) for the fatal shooting of a 33-year-old woman in their home, and for the fatal shootings of a couple in an apartment in the Bustleton section of the city.

Two children of the first victim, 14 and 4 years old, were in the home at the time of her murder. Tillman is also charged with Attempted Murder of the 14-year-old. The DAO is not releasing the identity of the first victim to protect the privacy of her surviving children.

Police investigators were able to use video and other evidence to connect Tillman to a double homicide that occurred several hours later, at the 9400 block of E. Roosevelt Boulevard. The bodies of Mark Ruff, a 59-year-old U.S. Army veteran, and Nicole Newell, 43, were discovered in an apartment on January 22nd, days after they were fatally shot.

“We may never know what motivated Donald Tillman to commit the horrifically violent crimes we allege he committed over the course of one day last January. But we do know that prohibitions on the lawful purchase of firearms placed on him as a convicted felon were essentially worthless, and that Pennsylvania is flooded with deadly weapons that are too cheap and too easily accessible,” District Attorney Krasner said. “A nation in which firearms are scarce and there are meaningful barriers to access them is a nation in which lives are far better protected from the poor decision-making and impulses of bad actors. I want to thank Philadelphia Police Homicide detectives for never giving up on seeking justice for the three people forever lost to us and for the two young children forever traumatized by such wanton violence.”

Joanne Pescatore, Assistant Supervisor of the DAO Homicide/Non-Fatal Shooting Unit, said: “Thanks to the investigative work of Philadelphia Police Homicide Unit detectives, the District Attorney’s Office will be prepared to hold Donald Tillman accountable for his crimes.”

At the time of the murders, Tillman was on court probation for firearms violations. As with all defendants charged with Murder, he will be held without eligibility for bail.

For the domestic homicide incident, Tillman is charged with Murder (F), Criminal Attempt — Murder (F), Endangering the Welfare of Children (F2), Corruption of Minors (F2), Terroristic Threats (M1), Recklessly Endangering Another Person (M2), and related charges.

For the double homicide incident, Tillman is charged with two counts of Murder (F), Burglary (F1), and related offenses.

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The Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office is the largest prosecutor’s office in Pennsylvania, and one of the largest in the nation. It serves the more than 1.5 million residents of the City and County of Philadelphia, employing 600 lawyers, detectives, and support staff. The District Attorney’s Office is responsible for prosecution of approximately 40,000 criminal cases annually.