Man arrested in stabbing death near City Hall

A suspect has been apprehended in the death of a man who was fatally stabbed near City Hall in September.

Philadelphia police said Monday that Reginald Bell, 52, of Center City, is facing murder and other charges in the Sept. 24 slaying of William Vaughn.

Vaughn, 47, of Kingsessing, was stabbed in the chest at a bus stop on the 100 block of North Broad Street about 6:40 a.m. and pronounced dead about a half-hour later at Hahnemann University Hospital.

Police had been looking for the assailant, who was seen before the incident boarding a Broad Street subway train at the Tasker-Morris station and exiting at the Race-Vine stop, then fleeing north on Broad after the stabbing.

Authorities said SEPTA officers apprehended Bell on Nov. 23, when they noticed he appeared similar to a suspect in a patrol alert.

Bell is being held without bail at the Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Wednesday.

The slaying occurred while the World Meeting of Families was being held at the nearby Convention Center and just days before Pope Francis arrived in Philadelphia. Authorities called the killing an isolated incident not connected to the events.