Man, 2 Women Charged in Murder-Dismemberment of NE Phila. Man
By Pat Loeb, Jenn Bernstein, Elizabeth Hur
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Police today announced the arrest of a man and two young women in connection with the murder of a Northeast Philadelphia man nearly two weeks ago.
The headless, limbless body of Frank Zarzycki, 40, was found Tuesday morning in the Schuylkill River (see related stories).
Keith Tolbert, 34, and two young women who worked for him were today being charged in Zarzycki's death. Tolbert has been previously arrested on charges of running a house of prostitution.
Police say Zarzycki met his end in an apartment at 220 South 11th Street in center city, on or about August 26th, while patronizing Tolbert's business.
"He comes there, he starts to deal with the two young ladies and then the male, Tolbert, comes back from another room and a struggle ensues. At some point, they have a taser, he's beaten, and he's suffocated," said Captain James Clark of Philadelphia Police.
According to investigators, Tolbert and the women -- Angel Weston, 21, and Stephanie Folke, 22 -- had planned to rob Zarzycki but he died while trying to resist, and they subsequently disposed of the body by chopping it into pieces, bagging it, and throwing it into the river.
"We now know that what started out as a planned robbery, escalated to a murder by suffocation, and ended with his body being chopped up, bagged up, and thrown into the river," said Clark.
The torso was found Tuesday morning floating in a plastic bag in the Schuylkill River and was identified by a distinctive tattoo across the upper back. The other body parts have not yet been recovered.
The three suspects are charged with robbery and murder.
