Killer of 82-yr.-old still being sought

Homicide detectives renewed their search yesterday for the man who beat 82-year-old Julia Kay to death about a year ago after forcing his way into her South Philadelphia home and attacking and robbing her.

"This was a woman who was still vibrant," Homicide Capt. Michael Costello said yesterday. "She was walking around her neighborhood. There was no way she could have fought off this man."

Police believe that Kay had been followed by the man after she cashed her Social Security check at a bank on Broad Street near Snyder Avenue on Feb. 2. He then followed her to a nearby Rite Aid and then to her home on Iseminger Street near Snyder, attacking her in her entryway. She suffered a fractured skull and other head injuries, and died Feb. 20. The killer escaped with an estimated $20 in cash, investigators said.

He is described as black, 28 to 35 years old, about 5 feet 9, medium build. He wore a black jacket bearing several patches including a cross over his right chest and a large patch on the right sleeve. He also wore a black hat, black shoes and black pants. *