Two of four suspects have been arrested in Maryland on charges of murder after police claimed the two women murdered a man, hacking off his thumb to access his bank account.
Fasil Teklemariam, a 53-year-old father of two, was brutally murdered after two women and two men broke into his Washington, D.C. , apartment on April 1, police say. Tiffany Taylor Gray, 22, and Audrey Denise Miller, 19, were taken into police custody as authorities continue to investigate.
Teklemariam was found on April 5 in his Peabody Street home with stab wounds, multiple blunt-force fractures to his head, and missing his right thumb.
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A witness alleged that Gray was a sex worker and Teklemariam was her "sugar daddy" but such claims have not been confirmed by police. The same witness says they Gray used Teklemariams severed thumb to access a banking app on his phone, which was stolen from the scene, to purchase booze and drugs.
Police added that cleaning agents were used to attempt to cover some of the evidence. His body was also found surrounded by glass. Few details about the actual state the body was found in are known.
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His family responded through a GoFundMe , set up to pay for the funeral expenses, which include shipping his body back to Ethiopia. "We are deeply saddened and devastated by the passing of our beloved brother Fasil Mulatu Teklemariam. Anyone who knows Fasil is sure that he was a caring son, father, husband, brother, uncle, and friend," they wrote.
Authorities say that Gray and Miller are among four suspects, the other two being men, who are currently under investigation for the murder. Footage from the building shows all four suspects entering Teklemariam's apartment with a key fob.
They were "removing items" from the property in the days leading up to the discovery of his demise.
Miller was taken into custody on June 21 and charged with armed first-degree murder in relation to the homicide, as per the statements made by MPD. Awaiting her preliminary hearing, she currently remains in custody.
However, investigators do know that Gray and Teklemariam were linked before. Months ago, Teklemariam filed a police report accusing Gray of stealing his phone, which she supposedly used to steal $1,800 from his cash app.
The complaint mentioned that both Gray and Teklemariam had met at his apartment on Oct. 1 to spend time, however, he noticed Gray's absence the following morning along with his missing cellphone and charges applied to his Cash App account.
The investigation revealed that Teklemariam's cell phone was last pinged from a tower in College Park, Maryland, near where Gray had an apartment. Teklemariam was last seen alive on the evening of April 1, as captured by CCTV footage. According to court documents, he was seen meeting Miller outside his apartment and then re-entering with her.
According to court records, he left approximately 20 minutes later and returned shortly after with three cans of Coca-Cola. Gray, Miller, and one of the male suspects were seen leaving the apartment building later on April 1.
Maryland police zeroed in on Gray after a man reported being robbed at gunpoint by two suspects at her apartment. The man claimed he connected with Gray through a dating app and arranged to meet her at her place. Upon arrival, two men emerged from the bathroom, brandished a gun, and robbed him.
He was coerced into revealing his banking pin codes, and his home was also burglarized. Investigators suggest that Gray has repeatedly met men online and stolen from them.
In April, a black Dodge Durango, used by the two suspects and Gray, was also spotted outside Teklemariam's apartment building.
The car was eventually seized by the police during a traffic stop, and authorities found a shoe and jacket inside matching those worn by one of the suspects seen exiting Teklemariam's apartment building on April 3 in the video. The driver identified himself as Tommy Whack, who is now facing unspecified charges in Maryland.
Gray has been charged with armed robbery and armed kidnapping in the Maryland case. She is currently awaiting extradition to Washington, D.C., in connection with Teklemariam's death.
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