Hearing Held for Williams, Waived by Reidler in Downtown Murder

Both men suspected in the Sept. 14 murder of Selvin Lopez-Mauricio appeared in district court briefly on Thursday.

Stephen Reidler, 23, of Linfield, waived his preliminary hearing in front of District Judge Theodore Michaels. A police officer and a Chester County detective testified at the hearing for Saleem Williams, 20, of Sharon Hill. Bail was denied for both men, who returned to Chester County Prison this afternoon. One additional robbery charge was tacked on for each man, and all charges will now move on to county court.

Both men wore dark-colored sweatshirts over white T-shirts in court, and Williams had five supporters in the courtroom supporting him. José Parra of the DaOmI Foundation is acting as advocate for Lopez-Mauricio’s family and he was there along with two of the victim’s brothers and the victim’s pastor.

Det. Mike McGinnis, a Chester County detective for more than a decade, testified that he and another detective interviewed Williams on the evening of Sept. 20 in the Phoenixville Police Station.

According to McGinnis’ testimony, Williams described “a physical confrontation with two Hispanic males.” Williams did not give detectives the reason that the confrontation began, according to McGinnis. In his statement, which was videotaped, Williams told police he struck Lopez-Mauricio with a closed fist once, and the victim got up. He struck him again with a closed fist, and once again Lopez-Mauricio got up from the sidewalk, according to Williams’ statement as told by McGinnis during testimony.

“He stated he was handed a semi-automatic handgun,” McGinnis said, and according to the statement Williams gave to detectives, he testified that Williams said he received the gun from Monique Robinson, 18, who is currently wanted by police on charges.

Robinson told Williams to shoot Lopez-Mauricio according to Williams’ statement, the detective told the judge. At the time of the shooting, McGinnis testified that Williams and the victim were physically fighting over the gun, according to the statement Williams gave to detectives.

“He stated that there was a struggle over the gun and that the gun just went off,” McGinnis said.

While Williams was fighting with Lopez-Mauricio over the gun, he told detectives that Reidler was fighting with the second male victim, “grappling with each other and holding on to each other physically,” McGinnis testified. Robinson was trying to rip a black backpack away from Lopez-Mauricio when the shooting occurred, McGinnis said Williams told detectives.

Following the shooting, the three fled and met back up later in a third floor apartment in the Pickering Creek Inn at 37 Bridge St., McGinnis said Williams told detectives.

“Monique Robinson fled with the backpack in her possession,” McGinnis testified, according to the statement Williams told police.

In the apartment, Robinson rifled through the backpack, taking a cell phone out of the bag, according to the statement McGinnis said Williams gave detectives. When asked if there was any money in the bag—according to police, the bag contained $300—McGinnis said Williams denied knowing anything about money.

“He stated that he didn’t receive any money,” McGinnis testified.

Williams allegedly told police that Robinson left the apartment with both the backpack and the firearm used in the crime, according to McGinnis’ testimony.

Earlier, Officer Jason Komorowski of the Phoenixville Police Department described the condition he found Lopez-Mauricio in on Sept. 14 just before 1 a.m. He told the judge he arrived to find a body lying on his back on the sidewalk, with his face bruised and swollen. The officer recognized Lopez-Mauricio, and he lifted up his shirt to observe a small puncture wound, according to testimony. The facial wounds were “consistent with beating, maybe being punched or kicked,” Komorowski testified.

The officer checked the victim’s pulse and put his head near Lopez-Mauricio’s body to see if he was still breathing. While lying on the sidewalk in the 100 block of Prospect Street, Lopez-Mauricio was trying to speak, Komorowski said.

“He didn’t make any noise,” the officer testified. “He just moved his mouth.”

Lopez-Mauricio was pronounced dead at 1:15 a.m. His death certificate was entered into evidence for the hearing.

As Reidler waived his hearing, all charges, including the new robbery charge tacked on to the list for both men, move on to the Chester County Court of Common Pleas. Michaels held all of Williams’ charges for court, as well. Neither Assistant District Attorney Peter Hobart nor Williams’ public defender, Loreen Kemps, made an argument following the preliminary hearing. District justices do not have the jurisdiction to change bail in a case of this severity, so it remained that bail was denied for both Reidler and Williams.

The formal arraignment date is set for Oct. 27 for both men.

In addition, Williams was also arraigned on drug charges while in court on Thursday morning. A preliminary hearing for those charges is scheduled for Oct. 20.

Outside the courtroom, Jose Parra, working as the victims' advocate, said the family of Lopez-Mauricio did not agree with the statements Williams gave to police.

“It was a lie and it didn’t happen that way,” Lopez-Mauricio’s brother said, with Parra translating.

Specifically, Parra said that Lopez-Mauricio’s brothers did not agree with the statement that Robinson gave Williams the gun.

“My impression is that I don’t understand how it’s possible for [Williams] to say that [Robinson] gave him the gun when that’s not true,” Lopez-Maurcio’s brother said.

Police said recently that the Citizens Crime Commission is offering a $2,500 reward for information leading to Robinson’s capture. She has yet to be questioned by police, and when police spoke to her on Sept. 19, she would not come in and give a statement, according to Police Chief William Mossman.

Anyone with information on Robinson’s whereabouts should call the Citizens Crime Commission tip line at 215-546-TIPS.