The victim had earlier taken legal action against one of the women, alleging that she was a prostitute, for allegedly taking his phone and using a payment app without his consent.
After Fasil Teklemariam, 53, died in his residence in Washington, DC in April, two women were arrested and charged with first-degree murder and armed felony murder. And then, according to the allegations, they used his severed thumb to access his phone and fraudulently take money.
After the victim had earlier made a complaint against 22-year-old Tiffany Gray in October 2023, the police were brought to Tiffany. Afterward, he asserted that she had taken his phone and was using it to make payments without his knowledge or consent, pilfering a total of $1800 each.
In D.C. court records, it is alleged that after his death, Gray and her accomplice, 19-year-old Audrey Miller, used the severed thumb to access a payment app on his phone. They then used this access to pay for things like marijuana, beer, and Uber.
As reported by Law & Crime, the authorities discovered forensic ink that confirmed the apartment had been wiped to conceal murder evidence; nevertheless, the forensic ink did not remove the bloody footprints and other traces. Authorities have stated that the victim was slain on April 1, but his corpse was not discovered until April 5.
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Autopsy results showed that Teklemariam had a significant stab wound that penetrated his spine, small intestine, aorta, and stomach in addition to many blunt force fractures to the head, as reported by WTOP. According to Miller’s arrest affidavit, which was seen by WTTG, the victim suffered “several” slashes to his legs, plus a cut on his right hand and the amputation of his right thumb.
In the days between Teklamariam’s likely death and his discovery, surveillance footage from his apartment building showed the two suspects and at least two more guys, all of whom were wearing masks, stealing items, including electronics, from his flat. As reported by WTTG, neither the victim’s thumb nor the stolen gadgets have been located by the authorities.
On July 1, Gray was apprehended in Maryland by the Capital Area Region Fugitive Task Force. Prosecutors are planning to bring her before a judge in Washington, D.C. According to the court records, witnesses allegedly told the police that Teklemariam was Gray’s “sugar daddy” and that she was a prostitute.
Allegedly, she used multiple aliases to evade authorities and stole from people she dated in the past who were discovered on dating apps in Maryland.
Previous to his June 21 arrest, Miller does not appear to have a permanent residence as seen in court records. Per CrimeOnline, she is scheduled to return to court on July 30 after making her initial court appearance the day after.
