It’s always baffling, these people who commit a crime for which they are unwilling to do the time, then turn around and commit a way worse crime in order to cover their tracks. And doesn’t it always seem like these people get caught, and would have been much better off sticking with taking the heat for the lesser crime if they weren’t prepared to avoid committing a crime altogether?
That’s just what happened last month, when 36-year-old Randolph Sanders of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, shot and killed his supervisor, 56-year-old Kim Jones, because she discovered he’d stolen roughly $40,000 from their place of employment ? a child advocacy organization called Turning Points for Children.
According to homicide Capt. James Clark, Sanders was fearful that Jones would fire him after having discovered his theft from Turning Points. So, Sanders went from one small step to a giant leap into criminality by stalking Jones for over an hour Jan. 13, and ultimately shooting her at a bus stop, right through the back of her head.
Compounding the sick, dual offenses committed by Sanders ? all over a bit of money and a job ? Sanders even went on air with local WPVI-TV last month to interview regarding Jones? murder, like some bad Hollywood clich?.
“We’re all stunned, just stunned. Just stunned.”
Sanders alluded to a close friendship with Jones to cover his tracks by telling WPVI that he’d even been invited to her wedding:
“She was incredibly happy. So this is ? this is just disturbing.”
Even Sanders? quotes sound like bad acting.
Capt. Clark said Sanders? crime was ?a premeditated assassination-style murder.? He also said detectives worked relentlessly for two weeks in order to solve the case. They reviewed several hundreds of hours of local surveillance video in order to piece the entire puzzle together. From that, authorities were able to literally track the killer, big brother-style, from the scene of the crime to his car some three miles away. Once detectives realized Sanders drove the same make vehicle, they knew they’d made an enormous breakthrough in the case. Sanders was brought in for questioning Saturday and eventually confessed later that day.
Randolph Sanders, 36yrs arrested for cold blooded murder of Kim Jones, 12th & Jefferson. Great job Homicide Unit! pic.twitter.com/dG7IMiwCyQ
? John Stanford (@PPDJohnStanford) February 2, 2015
Deputy Commissioner Richard Ross stated:
“This is the type of investigation that leaves you both angry and confounded. It just breaks your heart.”
Sanders was arraigned for murder and firearms charges Monday morning, and is being held sans bail as he awaits a preliminary hearing scheduled for Feb. 18.
Shockingly, this thief turned cold-blooded murderer had no previous criminal record on file before last month. He wasn’t an initial suspect in the case, either, though hindsight might hint at his role and guilt when one considers that Sanders also went as far as calling Jones? home after the murder in order to ?check on her.?
Capt. Clark said the two had sparred somewhat in the past, but no one, including local authorities, had any reason to believe Sanders would resort to murdering Jones. Of course, they likely didn’t know about the $40,000 embezzlement, either. Clark stated:
“He killed her because he was stealing, she found out about it and he knew she was going to turn him in.?
According to Turning Points for Children CEO Mike Vogel, Jones is survived by her two children and worked as an assistant director over Sanders for the child advocacy organization for a little over two years
The gun Sanders used in the murder is still being sought by investigators. Neither Sanders, nor his lawyer could be reached for comment on the case.
H/T: abcnews.go.com | Featured image: via WPVI-TV
