Family, Friends Gather To Remember Father-To-Be Jimmy Mao Who Was Found Dead In Duffel Bag In West Philadelphia
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- A missing father-to-be who was found dead in a duffel bag is being remembered in West Philadelphia. Meanwhile, a teen suspect faces charges for his death and the murder of his own foster mother.
A distraught brother, sister and heartbroken friends gathered Thursday night in West Philadelphia to remember Jimmy Mao.
The 20-year-old man was found stabbed to death Wednesday in a duffel bag less than a block from the foster home where he lived on Angora Terrace.
"It's like a movie, but it's real life," Niki Mao, Jimmy's sister, said.
Niki says he leaves behind eight other siblings and a daughter who is due in just a few weeks.
"He don't deserve this at all," she said.
"Mr. Mao had apparently suffered stab wounds to his face and neck, which contributed to his death," Philadelphia Police Capt. Jason Smith said.
Homicide investigators say 17-year-old Xavier Johnson has been arrested for Mao's death. Xavier and Mao lived together in the same foster home on Angora Terrace, where Mao went missing on Dec. 29.
After being transferred to another foster house on East Mechanic Lane, police say Johnson stabbed and killed a second person, his new foster mom Renee Gilyard, this past Tuesday.
Police believe robbery is the motive behind both slayings.
"Both Ms. Gilyard and Mr. Mao were brutally tortured and then murdered by Xavier Johnson. It is my hope that his arrest will provide some degree of solace to their friends, families and communities," Smith said.
"I just hope he burns in hell. I want him to feel the pain that my brother was feeling," Niki Mao said of the suspect.
Mao was the youngest of nine children.
If you'd like to help with funeral expenses, the family has set up a GoFundMe.
