Woman killed ‘sugar daddy’ and used severed thumb to steal from bank account, court told
By Jenny Gathright
Washington: A woman accused of using the severed thumb of her “sugar daddy” to steal money from his bank account and pay for Uber rides, marijuana and alcohol faces a charge of first-degree murder over the man’s killing.
Police found Fasil Teklemariam, 53, in his apartment in Washington, DC, on April 5 with several traumatic injuries and a missing right thumb, charging documents say. An autopsy determined he had suffered multiple blunt-force fractures to his head, several lacerations and a stab wound.
It was also determined that Teklemariam had been killed two to five days before police found him and that his thumb had been severed shortly before or after his death.
Suspect Audrey Denise Miller is seen on CCTV footage tendered to the court with Fasil Teklemariam entering his apartment building on April 1. Credit: NBC News
Police are investigating at least four suspects seen on surveillance footage entering Teklemariam’s apartment and carrying items out of it in the days before police found him dead, according to charging documents.
Tiffany Taylor Gray, 22, was arrested in Prince George’s County, Maryland, earlier this month on a warrant for first-degree murder while armed and will be extradited to Washington.
Authorities have also charged Audrey Denise Miller, 19, with first-degree murder while armed in connection with the killing. Surveillance video shows Miller with Teklemariam before his death, the charging documents say. Miller has been ordered held without bond ahead of her trial, and is scheduled for another court appearance this month.
Two men seen entering Teklemariam’s apartment are also under investigation.
An anonymous witness told police that Gray and Teklemariam knew each other and referred to him as Gray’s “sugar daddy”, court records say. The witness told police that the group involved in the attack had cut off Teklemariam’s thumb and said they had seen Gray using Teklemariam’s severed thumb to steal money from his account.
Co-accused Audrey Denise Miller (left) and Tiffany Taylor Gray.Credit: NBC News
While surveillance footage referenced in court records places the suspects in and around Teklemariam’s apartment in the days surrounding the killing, the records do not contain more information about the attack itself.
The last time Teklemariam was seen alive on surveillance footage was on the evening of April 1, according to court records. He is seen in footage going to meet Miller outside his apartment and then going back inside with her, the records say.
He left about 20 minutes later and returned shortly after with three cans of soft drink. After that point, according to police, footage shows the suspects exiting his apartment. Mobile phone data shows that Teklemariam’s phone left the area of his apartment late that night, according to the charging documents.
When police filed charges against Miller last month, detectives still had not located Teklemariam’s thumb, mobile, tablet or any other electronic devices, the documents say.
The Washington Post
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