Man Arrested in 2008 Murder of Philly Guidance Counselor

The murder case in which a guidance counselor's wife was the person of interest takes a drastic turn, as an already incarcerated man is charged.

After years of speculation and finger-pointing, a man has been charged in the murder of Philadelphia School District guidance counselor Veno Leigertwood, police say.

Eddie Poindexter Tate is charged in connection with the 2008 shooting death of the local educator.  Police say it happened while the 22-year-old Tate and two other men were “looking for an individual to rob."

Thirty-one-year-old Leigertwood was leaving for a class he was taking in Center City on Sept. 13, 2008 when he was shot in the back of the neck.

The murder happened in front of his home on Church Lane in Yeadon. It attracted national attention and Leigertwood’s widow was a person of interest. The case was even featured on "America’s Most Wanted."

Federal investigators zeroed in on Tate as a suspect early last year. He initially denied involvement, but agents say he later told the FBI he'd been with two other men who were looking to rob someone that morning. Tate has been serving time on unrelated robbery charges.

“They've been working this for quite a number of years and the Chief called me two weeks ago and told me this was going to happen” Yeadon mayor Dolores Jones-Butler told NBC 10.

Jones-Butler said she’s been following this case from the beginning.

“I remember when he moved into the house and I remember all the things he did, fine family” she said.

According to police, Tate was the driver of the getaway car and not the gunman. Tate identified his two accomplices as Marquis Roberts and Brahiem Thompson, police say. Tate told police that Roberts shot Leigertwood and later sold the gun he used.

Tate is charged with second- and third-degree homicide, assault, robbery and other offenses.

Roberts and Thompson are both currently in prison and have not yet been charged with anything related to the crime.
 

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