A man was arrested and charged with stabbing a bartender and musician to death outside of a South Philadelphia Wawa earlier this year.
On February 14, around 1 a.m., Roger Segal, 49, parked his SUV outside a Wawa store on 1602 South Christopher Columbus Boulevard. Segal went into the store to pick up food he had ordered and then returned to his vehicle to eat.
Around three hours later, police were called to the Wawa parking lot for a report of a person with a weapon. When they arrived they found Segal unresponsive inside his SUV and suffering from a stab wound to his abdomen. He was taken to Thomas Jefferson University Hospital where he was pronounced dead at 4:38 a.m. that morning.
Investigators later obtained surveillance video and photos of a man who had parked next to Segal’s SUV in a black minivan earlier that morning. The man later drove away before returning on foot to Segal’s vehicle, police said. He then opened Segal’s SUV and stabbed him, according to investigators.
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Police later identified Walter Robbins as the suspect in Segal’s murder. On March 22, police received a tip that Robbins was in the area of 7th and Snyder streets. Robbins was then found on the 2000 block of South 7th Street and taken into custody, according to the affidavit.
While being interviewed by police, Robbins allegedly admitted to stabbing Segal. Investigators said robbery was the motive and Robbins and Segal did not know each other. Robbins was charged with murder and other related offenses.
“I teared up right away. Like I said it was very bittersweet,” Michael Urbanski, a friend and co-worker of Segal’s, told NBC10. “I’m happy that they caught somebody. Hopefully justice will be served. But it’s bittersweet. It’s a reminder of what happened, you know? A senseless thing for nothing.”
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Segal was a musician and bartender who worked at the Woolly Mammoth sports bar on South Street. Friends described Segal as a kindhearted person with a passion for music and sports.
“Very well-liked guy,” Urbanski said. “People come in here asking about him still and they’re just heartbroken with what we have to tell them, you know?”
A charity concert will be held at Dobbs on South, a music venue on South Street, in honor of Segal. Proceeds from the event will go towards a charity dedicated to autism research. Friends said Segal was passionate about the cause due to his brother having autism.
