Cops: Man admits dumping body in Upper Darby

FOR MORE THAN two hours, a panicked Charles Deloatche drove around West Philadelphia and Upper Darby with the body of his sister's best friend slumped in the passenger seat, a bullet hole behind her left ear.

Deloatche, 23, was on the hunt for a tucked-away spot to dump 18-year-old Camilla Stephenson last Wednesday, authorities said. Finally, he pulled the blue 2006 Chrysler 300 into a dark corner, up against a wall, at the Creek Road Apartments on Dennison Avenue in Upper Darby. Before Deloatche abandoned her, he draped a jacket over her blood-soaked head.

The hiding place was so good that nobody spotted her body in the car until Friday, when landscapers called police.

At first, cops were baffled and considered that Stephenson, of Southwest Philadelphia, may have been killed execution style, said Upper Darby Township Police Superintendent Michael Chitwood.

But about 3 on Saturday afternoon, Deloatche, of Oxford Street near 54th Street, walked into the Upper Darby police station.

"My conscience is bothering me," he told detectives, according to Chitwood. "I killed her, but when I killed her, it was an accident."

Detectives determined that Deloatche's version of events jibed with all the physical evidence.

"This kid was very contrite and apologetic," Chitwood said. "He just couldn't live with himself."

Deloatche's lawyer, Kevin Mark Wray, said in a statement emailed late last night that he wasn't allowed to see his client at the police station.

"It seems clear that this tragedy was caused by a fight over a gun, in which Mr. Deloatche was in fear for his life," Wray said. "It's self-defense from both the victim, Camilla Stevenson, and "L," the male passenger, both of whom have been implicated in a home invasion in Abington."

Deloatche faces murder charges and is being held without bail, while police continue to delve into a bizarre case involving two homeless best friends.

Stephenson and Deloatche's sister, Ayida, also 18, were as close as sisters, Chitwood said. For several months, they were living out of the Chrysler 300. Ayida is the registered owner of the car, which was crammed with their clothes, and food for Ayida's baby, who is being cared for by Ayida's mother.

Abington police had been looking for the car because it had been linked to an Oct. 3 home invasion in which three men stole a large amount of cash.

Last Wednesday, Stephenson, known on the street as "Brown," and her boyfriend, known only as "L," went to pick up Charles Deloatche to run errands in the Chrysler, Deloatche told police.

This is Deloatche's version of events, according to Chitwood:

"L" drove, Stephenson was in the passenger seat and Deloatche sat in the back seat. They were high. "L" and Stephenson got into an argument about "that thing in Montgomery County," referring to the Abington home invasion.

Stephenson didn't want to discuss it in front of Deloatche. So Stephenson pulled out a .45-caliber gun and waved it around, threatening to shoot "L."

Deloatche reached forward to try to grab the gun, but Stephenson turned it back around to point it at "L." Again, Deloatche struggled to grasp the weapon, but when Stephenson tried to tug it away, the gun fired, striking her once.

"L" pulled over near 54th Street and City Avenue, jumped out and ran. Deloatche darted into the driver's seat and drove off, with Stephenson's body - blood seeping from her head - beside him. She had died instantly.

Somewhere along City Avenue, Deloatche tossed the weapon from the car. Police hadn't recovered it as of last night.

Deloatche was so distraught, he told police, that he had no idea how he arrived at the Creek Road Apartments. He wiped his fingerprints from the steering wheel before he walked off.

The following day, Thursday, Ayida Deloatche went to Lansdowne police to report that Stephenson had stolen her car. When the police officer went to call Abington police, Ayida Deloatche ran out, Chitwood said.

Police are still searching for "L."

Meanwhile, an "R.I.P. Camilla (Milla) Stephenson" page was posted on Facebook yesterday.

"Now you can live peacefully in paradise," one wrote.