'Street justice' follows murder of 'saint'

Diane Barrow's family knew the location of her alleged killer as they stood near police at the Upper Darby murder scene yesterday morning.

But instead of telling officers where alleged killer Keith Thomas was hiding, Barrow's family hunted him down and beat him first.

"This was street justice at its core," said Upper Darby Police Superintendent Michael Chitwood.

Friends and relatives said Barrow, "an energetic saint," had been dating Thomas for about two years.

"Two years too long," said long-time family friend Debbie McGriff, as she stood on the porch of the victim's sister's Southwest Philadelphia home.

Friends and relatives said that Thomas, 44, was a possessive boyfriend who would even get jealous when Barrow, 48, would spend time with her family.

"She did leave him a couple of times, but he would always find her," said McGriff, who spoke on behalf of Barrow's sister, Linda Barrow, who remained overcome with emotion yesterday afternoon - and for good reason.

Police said that Linda Barrow was the last person to see her sister alive, the last person to hear her voice and the first person to find her stabbed to death.

Thomas and Diane Barrow lived together on Atlantic Avenue, near Long Lane, and were hosting a barbecue Saturday evening when they got into a fight that stemmed from Thomas' possessive nature, according to family.

When the fight became physical, Linda Barrow tried to intervene but Thomas allegedly assaulted her as well. Linda Barrow went to get help and when she returned, Thomas was gone and her sister was "bleeding profusely" from her upper torso, police said.

Linda Barrow told police that the last words her sister uttered before collapsing were: "The bastard stabbed me."

Diane Barrow was pronounced dead at the scene shortly before midnight on Saturday.

Throughout the early-morning hours, family and friends milled around outside as cops processed the crime scene, Chitwood said.

About 4 a.m., Officer Amanda Pombo, who was guarding the scene, saw the victim's family and friends in a private conversation before jumping into cars and driving away, Chitwood said.

Unbeknownst to those family and friends, Pombo followed them in a marked police cruiser to a used car lot on Marshall and Rocklyn roads.

A man who had been waiting in the lot, later identified as Thomas, emerged and that's when six to 10 of Barrow's family and friends began attacking him, police said.

Chitwood believes that Thomas had asked somebody to help him make a getaway, but that person most likely phoned in Thomas' whereabouts to Barrow's family instead.

Pombo intervened to break up the beating and suffered hand injuries, Chitwood said. Another officer attempted to get Pombo out of the mix and received calf injuries while doing so, police said.

Despite the injuries to the officers, who are now on leave, Chitwood said that he doesn't expect to press charges against anyone involved in the assault because "the crowd wasn't hostile to the officers."

Among those who partook in the beating of Thomas was Barrow's 32-year-old son, Chitwood said.

Thomas was treated at Delaware County Memorial Hospital and released, Chitwood said.

He later gave a statement to police in which he admitted to striking Barrow two or three times with a knife, court documents said. He has been charged with murder, aggravated assault and related offenses.

The handle of the steak knife believed to be the murder weapon was found, but police said the blade may still be embedded in Barrow's body.

In addition to her sister and son, Barrow leaves behind a daughter, 13, and three grandchildren. She was about to start a job at Harrah's Chester Casino before she was murdered, McGriff said.

"She always took care of everyone," McGriff said.

"Everybody's still just . . . it's still just a shock." *