4 charged with murder in Somerton woman's death

Officials think they have solved the slaying of Lyudmila Burshteyn, a 57-year-old wife and mother of two, a Russian immigrant who lived in the Somerton section of Northeast Philadelphia and worked in real estate - and whose body was dumped in rural Burlington County.

They have charged four men, now in custody in South Carolina, with her murder. But they also have a lot of questions, including when and where she was killed, and how her life and the suspects' lives intersected with tragic consequences.

It was not immediately clear when Burshteyn was last seen. On Wednesday, she failed to show up for a lunch date with a friend.

At the time, her husband, Alex, 56, a construction contractor, and her son, Ruslan, 33, a defense contractor, were in Russia on separate business trips. On Thursday, they learned of her killing and immediately flew back to Philadelphia, arriving yesterday.

Philadelphia police spokesman Lt. Frank Vanore said Northeast Detectives got a report that Burshteyn was missing about 1:30 a.m. Thursday, made by the friend. By then, however, her body already had been found.

About 3 p.m. Wednesday, a motorist on a narrow dirt road in Mansfield Township that leads through a wooded area to a field of crops spotted the body, investigators said.

And early Thursday, a police officer in Summerton, S.C., a small community just west of I-95 in the state's Piedmont region, pulled over Burshteyn's 2009 Nissan Murano.

Inside, police found bloodstains and three handguns, one of which might be the murder weapon, according to spokesman Joel Bewley of the Burlington County Prosecutor's Office. They arrested Marcus S. White, 18, of the 7900 block of Henry Avenue; Damion D. Williams, 27, of the 900 block of Mascher Street; Robby R. Willis, 26, of the 5100 block of Marion Street; and a 17-year-old whose name authorities did not release because he is a juvenile.

Yesterday, the Prosecutor's Office charged all four - who last night were awaiting extradition - with felony murder.

An 18-year-old woman and a 16-year-old girl, both from the Philadelphia area, also were in the car but have not been charged in the death, Bewley said.

Investigators were trying to piece together the circumstances surrounding the killing, Bewley said. It was not clear whether the suspects knew Burshteyn, or how she came into contact with her killers.

"That's one component that's still under investigation," Bewley said. "There's a lot of them."

Late yesterday afternoon at the Burshteyns' brick twin on the 400 block of Larkspur Street, family members expressed contempt for her killers.

"She loved her children and her family," said Ruslan Burshteyn. Then he expressed disgust that "Earth holds a place for people who hurt my mom."

"We're all trying to be strong," said Burshteyn's daughter, Marina, 27. "She'll be missed by many."

Her children said she had a real estate management business and enjoyed gardening.

"That was her biggest hobby," Marina Burshteyn said.

The family immigrated to the United States 13 years ago, Ruslan Burshteyn said, and initially lived in Los Angeles before relocating to Philadelphia 61/2 years ago.

According to Philadelphia court records, White recently was released from jail after spending three months in custody on assault and robbery charges.

On April 21, according to records, White and four others allegedly accosted a man - White allegedly struck him with a 2-by-4 - and robbed him of $15 and a cell phone.

Court records indicate that the charges were withdrawn by an assistant district attorney at a preliminary hearing on July 13, and that White was released.

Harry Calvin Wade III, the court-appointed lawyer who represented White at the hearing, said yesterday that he was retained only for that case and had not since been in contact with White.

"I didn't even know he was arrested," Wade said.

The court records do not indicate why the charges were withdrawn, but in Philadelphia this often occurs when the victim decides not to cooperate with the prosecutor, decides not to press charges, or simply fails to appear for the hearing.

Neither Williams nor Willis appears to have any adult arrests or convictions, according to state court records.

Some members of the group stopped in South Carolina face charges for additional offenses, police said, including open-container violations. All except the 16-year-old were expected to be charged with weapons offenses and being in possession of a stolen vehicle.

Police released photographs of Burshteyn's stolen SUV yesterday and urged anyone with information to call Burlington County Central Communications at 609-265-7113.