3 Teens Charged As Adults In Beating Death Of Man
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Authorities have arrested and charged three teens in connection with the beating death of a man in Northeast Philadelphia.
Police have charged 14-year-old Brandon Conrad, 16-year-old Malik Page and 17-year-old Emmanuel Harris with the murder of 57-year-old Kevin Cullen. All three teens have been charged as adults. They also face criminal conspiracy, robbery and related charges.
Police say they were called to the 4200 block of Loring Street in the city's Mayfair neighborhood on Nov. 26 for reports of a robbery in progress.
It was there that officers found Cullen lying on the ground unconscious. He was taken to Aria-Torresdale Hospital where he died the next day.
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Investigators say robbery was the motive for a group of teenagers who attacked Cullen, a man neighbors and family say had no permanent home and often slept behind a local bar.
"We know through the investigation that the motive was robbery. Mr. Cullen's pockets were turned out," said Captain John Ryan with Philadelphia Police Homicide Unit.
When asked how much money the teens made out with, the homicide Captain said, "Nothing was taken."
People in the Mayfair community, who put up a memorial for Kevin Cullen, knew him as a man who at the time of his death was going through a rough patch in life and didn't have much to take.
"He was definitely bouncing from place to place living with different people. He was definitely well known in the neighborhood. Frankly, we didn't encounter any neighbors who had a bad thing to say about the guy," added Ryan.
As for the teens, now they could potentially spend the rest of their lives in jail.
The homicide captain had this last reminder, that all teens should hear, "Committing robbery is not the answer for boredom. It shouldn't be a rite of passage. It can have tragic consequences."
Authorities do not expect to make any more arrest in this case, even though police believe there was a fourth person present during the alleged robbery and assault of Cullen. Police at this time are not saying why the fourth person is not being charged.
