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The Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office announced Monday that a suspect has been charged in the grisly murder of an elderly military veteran inside his home.
Lafayette Dailey, 93, was brutally stabbed multiple times in the chest and head in early December, according to local police and the office’s Homicide and Non-Fatal Shootings Unit. Fox 29 Philadelphia reported that Dailey was a military veteran.
Officials identified the suspect as 53-year-old Coy Thomas. Authorities allege that after the stabbing, Thomas fled the scene in Dailey’s vehicle, which he later sold, and attempted to use the victim’s debit card.
He has been charged with murder, robbery, possession of an instrument of crime, unauthorized use of a vehicle, and theft and receipt of stolen property.
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Lafayette Dailey, 93, died in a stabbing homicide early December in Philadelphia. (Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office)
Philadelphia police said they conducted a welfare check at the home around 3 p.m. on Dec. 5 after concerns were raised about Dailey’s whereabouts. Upon arrival, officers reportedly noticed that the victim’s white Chrysler 300 was missing from the residence.
Authorities said there were clear signs of a struggle inside the veteran’s home, Fox 29 reported. According to the Philadelphia Police Department, Dailey was found unresponsive with lacerations to the chest and head inside the home. The District Attorney’s Office added that Dailey had suffered head trauma and was “fatally stabbed multiple times in the chest.”
“It shouldn’t be the case that Mr. Dailey, a 93-year old who is a staple to his family, friends, and community, is murdered so callously and senselessly right in his own home,” Senator Sharif Street of District 3 said in a statement.
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Coy Thomas has been charged in the brutal slaying of an elderly veteran in Philadelphia. (Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office)
Officials said Dailey had not been seen or heard from for nearly two days. His niece reportedly notified police on Dec. 5, and staff at the senior center he regularly attended also confirmed his absence.
Authorities said surveillance footage showed a suspect walking onto the victim’s property on Dec. 3 around 11 a.m. Roughly 10 minutes later, the suspect was seen entering Dailey’s vehicle and driving away.
Officials described the suspect as a black male wearing a black jacket, white hoodie, red sweatpants and white sneakers.
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A white Chrysler 300 parked outside a home in Philadelphia. (Philadelphia Police Department)
Detectives said attempted unauthorized transactions were made using the victim’s debit card on Dec. 8, three days after Dailey was found. The victim’s vehicle was located on Dec. 9 and was reportedly sold to a man for $900.
A preliminary hearing for Coy Thomas is scheduled for Dec. 29th, 2025.
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Lafayette Dailey, 93, was found with multiple lacerations to the head and chest. (Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office)
Assistant District Attorney Ashley Toczylowski of the Homicide and Non-Fatal Shootings Unit said in a statement that the officials will do their best to hold Thomas “accountable for this terrible crime.”
Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner added that the exceptional work of the community, public servants and law enforcement has been key “to the historic decrease in homicides Philadelphia is experiencing today.”
Digital reached out to the District Attorney’s Office and the Philadelphia Police Department for more information.
