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‘I was frozen’: The mother of a Philadelphia homicide victim says a detective sexually assaulted her in her car

Donald Suchinsky, 57, was held for trial on charges including aggravated indecent assault, official oppression, and stalking.

The mother of a homicide victim said Det. Ronald Suchinsky sexually assaulted her in her car outside the former Police Headquarters.
The mother of a homicide victim said Det. Ronald Suchinsky sexually assaulted her in her car outside the former Police Headquarters.Read moreJessica Griffin / Staff Photographer

First, the detective sent unusual emails — asking the mother of a Philadelphia homicide victim to send him photos of herself, she recalled, or suggesting that they go out together.

Then, the woman testified Wednesday, she drove to Police Headquarters to meet the detective, Donald Suchinsky, for an interview about her son’s case. Suchinsky, the lead investigator, got into her car, she said, and as they drove around looking for a parking spot, he groped her, put his hand down her pants, and digitally penetrated her.

“I was out of it,” the woman said on the witness stand Wednesday. “I was frozen. A little numb.”

The woman’s testimony was the centerpiece of the preliminary hearing for Suchinsky, who has since been fired over the alleged assault in 2020. And after Wednesday’s proceedings, Municipal Court Judge Lydia Y. Kirkland held Suchisnky for trial on all charges, including aggravated indecent assault, official oppression, and stalking.

Suchinsky, 57, did not comment during the hearing, and his attorney, Charles Gibbs, declined to comment afterward.

Prosecutors, led by Assistant District Attorney Lyandra Retacco, also did not comment outside the courtroom. Retacco has said previously that she believes Suchinsky may have victimized other women, and that an investigation into his tenure on the force remains ongoing.

The woman who testified Wednesday said her interactions with Suchinsky began the day after her son was killed in the fall of 2020 (The Inquirer does not identify victims of sexual assault without their permission).

The woman said she met Suchinsky at her mother’s house to talk about the investigation, and later went to the Homicide Unit for a formal interview.

As the investigation unfolded, she said, Suchinsky routinely called and emailed her asking about things “that had nothing to do with the case” — requesting photos of her, or suggesting they meet to hang out.

She said some details of the assault in the car were foggy, including the exact date it happened. But others stood out, she said, including the fact that she was driving close to a daycare when he began touching her, and the fact that he told her several times that the investigation was complex — he used the phrase “chess, not checkers” to emphasize the point, she said.

She said she first told an uncle about the incident, and later reached out to a lawyer for guidance on what to do. After that, she said, she spoke to the Police Department’s Internal Affairs Division. Suchinsky was benched in 2021 as that unit investigated.

The woman then filed a federal lawsuit in January. And the District Attorney’s Office charged Suchinsky in February, and he was later fired.

Suchinsky remains free on bail. He is scheduled to return to court for a formal arraignment next month.