(He was convicted and is currently serving a 30-year sentence.) Kidada Savage was. Lamont Lewis, 36, says he started cooperating with prosecutors to save his own life -- to take the death penalty off the table. Flames broke out around 8 p.m. Tuesday at South Park Road in Tabernacle. A federal appeals court has affirmed the death sentence of North Philadelphia drug lord Kaboni Savage this week, bringing the unrepentant killer responsible for the deaths of four children and two women in a 2004 firebombing attack one step closer to execution. And it was from solitary-confinement while awaiting trial in a federal case that Savage committed his most notorious crime: the 2004 firebombing in North Philadelphia that killed a family related to a former confidant, Eugene Coleman, who had agreed to help the FBI gather evidence against him. 31-year-old Kidada Savage was convicted on May 13, 2013 of six counts of murder in aid of racketeering, retaliating against a witness by murder, and of using fire to commit a felony - all in. This long-term and continuing investigation will end only when all of the members of this criminal enterprise have been brought to justice.. Tom Wolf imposed a moratorium on the death penalty in 2015, but there hasn't been an execution here for nearly two decades. The worker was electrocuted at the Hamilton Business Center early Wednesday morning. Thursdays announcement from U.S. Attorney General William Barrreinstating federal executionswill do nothing to expedite Savage's sentence, according to a spokesperson for U.S. Attorney William McSwain, who represents the Eastern District including Philadelphia. Savages drug enterprise operated primarily in the North Philadelphia area from at least late 1997 to 2010. Under the circumstances, it is inconceivable that the Court of Appeals could have been satisfied that a death verdict was appropriate.. He was making a name for himself, especially for his often-brutal methods of operation which included murders, beatings, kidnappings, and threatsagainst anyone who crossed him (customers, rival gang members, his own underlings, even law enforcement). 1959(a)(1) (Counts 10-15); retaliating against a witness, in . Right now, Kidada Savage lives in Philadelphia, PA. Kaboni Savage is currently serving a 30-year drug-trafficking sentence. Authorities say Kidada Savage acted on behalf of her brother, who was in federal custody awaiting a drug trial, and recruited Lamont Lewis to commit the firebombing. After extinguishing the flames, the fire department found the bodies of six victimsColemans 54-year-old mother, his 15-month-old son, and four other relatives, including a 10-year-old girl and 12- and 15-year-old boys. In May 2004, Kaboni and others were indicted for conspiring to distribute cocaine, money laundering, firearms offenses, and later on, witness intimidation. Through this enterprise, they engaged in a lengthylist of federal crimes, including murder, arson, money laundering, witness tampering, retaliation against witnesses, assault and battery. Savages actions were described as pure evil by then-Deputy Commissioner of the Philadelphia Police Department Richard Ross. They were members of a regional criminal organization based in North Philadelphia that sold narcotic throughout the city. The parties were directed to . After Savage was indicted on drug charges in 2004, he ordered the murders of the family of government witness Eugene Coleman. A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. She was convicted in May of six counts of murder in aid of racketeering, retaliating against a witness and related offenses. Patriot Polling is a non-partisan organization that uses a third-party cold-calling system to survey voters across the nation. Philadelphia, PA 19106, Telephone:(215) 861-8200 Five years later, Savage, now 44, remains entangled in the criminal justice system as he appeals his death sentence. Savage is the sister of Kaboni Savage who ordered the firebombing and who was sentenced to death for 12 counts of murder in aid of racketeering. The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation Division, the Philadelphia Police Department, and the Maple Shade, New Jersey Police Department. The bridge and road are being closed to allow open movement and space for a new fender replacement project. Xylazine is "increasingly present" in the nation's drug supply and has been found in overdose deaths from coast to coast. The most horrifying example of this was the brutal firebombing that resulted in the deaths of six members of a federal witness family in retaliation for his cooperation with law enforcement. First published on February 21, 2014 / 1:29 PM. Coleman and Lamont Lewis, another Savage associate who has admitted to taking part in the arson, are both scheduled to testify later in the trial which in its first three weeks has already provided the jury with an urban saga of guns, murder and drugs. On January 30, 2017, the Third Circuit entered an order consolidating Savage's appeal with the appeals of his co-Defendants and granted Savage's request for a stay of the briefing schedule. Both he and Kaboni Savage are eligible for the death penalty. Despite his sentence, Savage could face several more years of appeals and execution is not necessarily guaranteed. All rights reserved, Atlantic City Boat Show Sets Sails on Jersey Shore With Virtual Reality Twist, $25M Bankroll Ready to Open Doors to Sports Fans, Mobile Bettors in Center City, Disgraced Ex-Philly Councilman Gets Years in Federal Prison, PennDOT Begins Work to Cap I-95, Build Park at Penn's Landing, It Had a Rotten Smell': NFL Sodfather' Explains Why Super Bowl Field Was So Awful. Kidada Savage, 31, of Philadelphia, was sentenced today to life in prison for her role in the Oct. 9, 2004, firebombing that killed six members of a federal witness's family. A 2008 study found that death penalty cases could cost up to eight times more than cases where execution is not sought, according to theDeath Penalty Information Center. This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. Four children and two adults, family members of a federal witness, died in the fire. This Philadelphia row house was firebombed by individuals who worked for Philadelphia drug trafficker Kaboni Savage. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. Northington was sentenced to life; Merritt is awaiting sentencing. PHILADELPHIA - Kidada Savage, 30, of Philadelphia, was sentenced today to life in prison for her role in the October 9, 2004, firebombing that killed six members of a federal witness's family. Todays sentence was announced by United States Attorney Zane David Memeger, Acting Assistant Attorney General Mythili Raman for the Justice Departments Criminal Division, and Special Agent-in-Charge Edward J. Hanko of the FBIs Philadelphia Division. U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Executive Assistant U.S. Attorney for Community Engagement, Kidada Savage Sentenced For Deadly Firebombings, Eastern District of Pennsylvanias U.S. Attorneys Office Hosts Presentation on Autism-Based Discrimination in Schools, Camps, and Childcare Facilities, One Leader of a Violent Sex Trafficking Gang Sentenced to Life and a Consecutive Ten Years Imprisonment, and a Gang Associate Sentenced to 37 years Imprisonment, Chester County Doctor Sentenced to Two Years in Prison for Operating Pill Mill Out of Main Line Pain Clinic. Lock A transfer to the Navy reserves allowed Song to play pro baseball for the first time since 2019. Kidada Savage was convicted of six counts of murder in aid of racketeering, all related to the firebombing murders of the Coleman family home on October 9, 2004. And those six innocent people murdered in their homeone of many ruthless attempts by Savage to keep his operations runningfinally received justice. But McSwain has said that as a prosecutor, the only reason not to enforce [the death penalty] is political cowardice.. The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation Division, the Philadelphia Police Department, the Philadelphia District Attorneys Office, and the Maple Shade, New Jersey Police Department. What happened when he was found out? The perpetrators were arrested and held for trial. The adjacent row homes were also damaged. . Savage is the only inmate from Pennsylvania on federal death row, but he is not among the five scheduled to be executed as early as December 2019, according to the Department of Justice. British Prime Minister David Cameron met with Director James Comey at the NCIJTF to discuss critical cyber issues. Secure .gov websites use HTTPS Contact Us- Overview- Territory/Jurisdiction, News and Outreach- Press Room|Stories- In Your Community, About Us- Our People & Capabilities- What We Investigate- Our Partnerships- Philadelphia History, This content has been reproduced from its. Breaking news and the stories that matter to your neighborhood. There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data. Kaboni and Kidada Savage were also convicted of conspiracy to commit murder in aid of racketeering, retaliating against a witness by murder, and of using fire to commit a felony (the Coleman murders). Despite the ongoing lag, McSwain expressed support for the reinstatement of executions. Kidada Savage, 31, of Philadelphia, is the sister of Kaboni Savage, who ordered the firebombing and was sentenced to death for 12 counts of murder in aid of racketeering (see previous story). Official websites use .gov Indictment Charges Kidada Savage with Arson Murders of Family of Six, In federal custody, formerly of Philadelphia, PA. the March 19, 1998, murder of Kenneth Lassiter, age 44, of Lansdale, PA, by Kaboni Savage, near the corner of 8th and Butler Streets in Philadelphia; the August 2, 2000 murder of Mansur ShafiqAbdullah, age 22, of 11th Street, Philadelphia, by Kaboni Savage and Kareem Bluntly (now deceased). An official website of the United States government. In its ruling, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit acknowledged that Savages case was the first time in nearly a century that the Philadelphia-based court had been called upon to review a rarely imposed federal death sentence on direct appeal, and that since then, public debate over the punishment has shifted substantially. A woman who helped her drug-kingpin brother arrange a firebombing that killed six people has been sentenced to a mandatory life sentence. In the late 1990s, Kabonithen a small-time drug dealerbegan buying cocaine in bulk and building his criminal organization. The Savages co-defendants, Robert Merritt, 32, and Steven Northington, 41, were also convicted in the racketeering (RICO) conspiracy. entered an order consolidating Savage's appeal with the appeals of his co-Defendants and granted Savage's request for a stay of the briefing schedule. Photos. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Kidada Savage, 31, helped plot the arson. On June 22, 2011, a federal grand jury in Philadelphia returned a seventeen-count Second Superseding Indictment charging Defendant Kidada Savage with: conspiracy to participate in a racketeering enterprise, in violation of 18 U.S.C. A federal jury convicted Savage in 2013 in a racketeering case that linked him to 12 murders, many of them aimed at silencing potential witnesses or others he deemed threats. 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