Chester, Philly slayings may be linked, police say

Delaware police have joined Philadelphia police investigating the death of a man found in the trunk of a car in Grays Ferry early today. Authorities said they believed the slaying was connected to the execution-style killings of two women in Chester over the weekend.

Maurice Goodman, 35, of New Castle, Del., had been wrapped in a blanket, police said. He was found in the trunk of a 2008 Cadillac in the 1200 block of South 27th Street at 1:51 a.m., police said.

An autopsy determined that Goodman was asphyxiated and suffered blunt head trauma from a beating, said Jeff Moran, spokesman for the Philadelphia Medical Examiner's Office.

Lt. Frank Vanore of the Philadelphia's Public Affairs Unit said that authorities believe the slaying may not have happened in Philadelphia and that authorities here are cooperating with New Castle County police investigating the deaths of the two women.

New Castle County Police Cpl. Trinidad Navarro confirmed that New Castle police were working a joint investigation with the Philadelphia and Chester police departments because of links in the cases, but authorities did not elaborate.

Police identified the slain women in Chester as Elegant McGriff, no age given, and Jeanea Irvin, 33, both of Edgemoor, near Wilmington. New Castle County police were called in on that investigation on Sunday when they searched Irvin's apartment.

New Castle police were asked by Chester police to assist in making notifications. Authorities said that, after making the first notification, officers went to a second address in the first block of North Cannon Drive, where they received no answer at the residence, which was secure.

Later, New Castle police and the local fire company responded to the same residence for a report of an open door and the scent of gasoline near the home, Navarro said.

When the firefighters arrived, they found no active fire, authorities said. Crime scene detectives entered the home and found evidence of an attempted arson as well as an apparent bloodstain inside, authorities said.

Meanwhile, Goodman's family members contacted the New Castle County Police Department to report that he was missing.

The family told police that Goodman had recently rented a car that was equipped with the OnStar navigation system, which led investigators to Philadelphia, where they found Goodman in the trunk of the Cadillac.

Authorities have not said how all the slayings are linked. They occurred during a particularly violent weekend.

Over a seven-hour period in Chester that ended early Sunday, seven people were shot, including the two woman found dead in Chester.

It does not appear that the deaths of the two women were related to other shootings in Chester over the weekend, authorities said.

Chester Police Capt. Joe Massi said Sunday that police were exploring whether friction among three neighborhood groups might have led to gunplay after a teen dance and later at an adult dance at a private club, which led to some of the shootings.

He said the warring groups under investigation were the Maddie Street Boys from the Madison Street area; the Hill from Highland Gardens; and the 33d Street Group from the upper east side around Third Street.

The first shooting was just before 8:30 p.m. Saturday, when a 21-year-old man was shot in the hip while standing in front of his house in the 2500 block of West Third Street. He told police he was smoking a cigarette and didn't know why he was struck.

About an hour later and two miles away, in an alley in the 900 block of West Mary Street, the two women were shot multiple times and left on the street to die, Massi said.

Roughly two hours later, a 15-year-old girl was struck in the left foot by a stray bullet as she and a group of friends walked home from a YWCA teen dance. She was not seriously injured, police said.

Two groups of boys who had been arguing at the dance were taunting each other from opposite sides of the street, near where the girl walked, and one pulled out a gun, Massi said.

The shooting happened in the 300 block of West Seventh Street, a few blocks from the dance and about a mile from the fatal shootings.

Massi said that there had been fistfights and problems with dispersing crowds after Y dances in the past, but that this was the first shooting he could recall. He said the boys were from two neighborhood groups with long-standing rivalries but declined to identify them.

Massi also blamed the rivalries for bloodshed that erupted hours later, about 4 a.m., outside the Platinum Club in the 2600 block of West Third Street.

The victims were Brian Holley, 26, who was struck in the groin; and Craig Evans and Andre Mosely, both 23, who suffered multiple wounds. The three, all Chester residents, were in serious condition at Crozer-Chester Medical Center, Massi said.

The private dance club, formerly known as the Palladium, is a trouble spot and has been closed twice in the last year, Massi said. The club does not have a liquor license, he said.

Police ask that anyone with information about any of the shootings call detectives at 610-447-7908.