Men who police say beat, threw American Airlines flight attendant from third-floor window met victim on a dating app

The men accused of killing an American Airlines flight attendant in South Philadelphia last year met the victim on a dating app and spent more than two hours with him at his home before attacking him and throwing him, naked, from a third-story window to his death, prosecutors said.

Izel Moody, 55, and Shamar Moody, 28, appeared in court Thursday for the first time since being charged earlier this year with murder and related crimes in connection with the death of Amadou Thiam in November.

Investigators said Thiam, 50, met Shamar Moody on a dating app and invited him to his home, on the 2400 block of Federal Street, on the afternoon of Nov. 10. Messages shown in court suggested Thiam knew Moody was not coming alone.

Assistant District Attorney Sheida Ghadiri showed text messages between Thiam and the younger Moody that indicated the two men arrived shortly after 4 p.m. Thiam said in the texts that he had drinks they could enjoy.

A neighbor said that around 6:30 p.m., he heard loud thumps coming from Thiam’s upstairs unit. At one point, the neighbor testified, it sounded as if someone had fallen down the stairs.

A short time later, he said, he heard a loud crash behind the home. After checking the backyard and seeing nothing unusual, he went back inside, then stepped out front to smoke a cigarette.

Then, the witness said, he saw two men walk out of Thiam’s home and down the stairs, carrying what appeared to be a pile of clothes and a bottle of liquor.

“Is everything OK?” he said he asked the men.

Shamar Moody, he said, grunted and said, “We hope so,” before chuckling and walking away.

The neighbor said Thiam’s door was left open, so he walked upstairs and inside. Blood was smeared in the kitchen, and across the walls and stairs leading to the third floor. When he went upstairs, he said, the bathroom floor was also bloody and the shower was on.

He called Thiam’s name throughout the house, he said, but received no answer. When he went into Thiam’s bedroom, he said, he noticed a window was open and the screen had been removed.

He turned off the shower and called 911 to report what he thought was a burglary.

As he waited outside for police, he said, he noticed a trail of blood leading into the parking lot behind the home. Following it, he found Thiam lying naked on the pavement beneath the open window, gasping for air.

Medics rushed Thiam to the hospital, where he died two days later from severe injuries throughout his body and head.

Homicide Detective Richard Bova said he believes Shamar and Izel Moody assaulted Thiam throughout the home, then threw him out the third-story window.

Surveillance video from behind the home showed the window screen falling to the ground around 6:33 p.m., Bova said.

And then, he said, Thiam can be heard screaming for help.

“Help me!” he appeared to yell, according to the audio played in court. “Somebody! Somebody!”

The video did not capture Thiam’s fall, Bova said. But surveillance footage showed the men leaving with clothes and booze, he said, and additional footage from down the street showed at least one of the men changing his clothes.

Defense attorneys disputed prosecutors’ theory of the case, arguing that investigators could not determine exactly how Thiam ended up outside the window.

Shamar Moody’s attorney, Thomas Clemens, said he would challenge the medical examiner’s findings at trial.

“If he fell, it’s not a homicide,” he said.

Clemens questioned why investigators had no video showing the men arriving at the apartment. And he said investigators could not determine what, if anything, the men stole from Thiam’s home — his wallet, watch, and credit cards were all inside.

His client, he said, talked with the downstairs neighbor and left the home calmly because he had nothing to hide.

Izel Moody’s attorney, Doug Stern, said the defense was still awaiting DNA results recovered from the scene and Thiam’s body.

“We’re still confused about causation,” he said. “We don’t know how he got out the window.”

Municipal Court Judge David H. Conroy said prosecutors had presented sufficient evidence for the case to proceed to trial. The men will remain in custody, charged with murder, robbery, burglary, and related crimes.

Two of Thiam’s friends and flight attendant colleagues sat in the courtroom gallery on Thursday, a photo of Thiam, encased in a red heart, pinned to their shirts.

“He was someone who was very liked and loved at work and beyond,” said Brent Fedele, of the Association of Professional Flight Attendants. “We just want to see justice for him.”