Murder charges were announced Monday in the case of a missing South Philadelphia man who was found dead in bushes by a couple of kids, police said.
Joseph Rodriguez, 21, of the Tacony section of Philadelphia, was charged early Monday morning with the murder of 25-year-old Francis Decero.
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WATCH HERERodriguez also faces conspiracy, tampering with evidence, abuse of a corpse, and other related charges, court documents show. He was denied bail.
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SIGN UP On May 4, two children found Decero lying in some bushes on the 1700 block of Vare Avenue in South Philadelphia They flagged down police officers, who went to the area and found Decero’s body, which had signs of trauma, Philadelphia Police Department Officer Eric McLaurin said.
Medics pronounced Decero dead a half hour later at 4:01 p.m.
Philadelphia police said an autopsy showed Decero had been shot in the back and elbow, and suffered a graze wound to the side of his face.
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Decero had been missing from his home on the 1100 block of Tree Street since the night of April 26, McLaurin said. His family located his car double parked on the 2800 block of South 13th Street, McLaurin said.
Video showed him getting into another vehicle after parking and before he disappeared.
Rodriguez's alleged motive to kill Decero was unknown, Philadelphia police said.
As of Monday afternoon, there were at least 227 homicides in Philadelphia this year, down 6% from the same time last year which was ultimately the deadliest in the city on record.
There are additional resources for people or communities that have endured gun violence in Philadelphia. Further information can be found here.
