Cassidy suspect held with no bail
John Lewis, 21, was arraigned before dawn and was being held at Police Headquarters.
The suspect in the killing of Philadelphia Police Officer Chuck Cassidy was ordered held without bail at a predawn hearing yesterday.
John Lewis, 21, was arraigned via closed-circuit television and held in the detention unit at Police Headquarters.
Lewis will not be jailed in Philadelphia because his mother is a corrections officer in the city, police said. No decision has been made about where he will be transferred while he awaits trial.
Lewis had fled by bus to Miami on Nov. 3, three days after Cassidy, 54, a married father of three, was gunned down during a botched robbery of a Dunkin' Donuts on Broad Street in West Oak Lane. Cassidy died Nov. 1.
Lewis was found in a homeless shelter Tuesday morning and arrested. He returned to Philadelphia on Friday after waiving extradition.
District Attorney Lynne M. Abraham said that while the crime qualified as a capital case, her office had not decided whether it would seek the death penalty.
Contact staff writer Mari A. Schaefer at 610-892-92149 or mschaefer@phillynews.com.
Contact staff writer Mari A. Schaefer at 610-892-92149 or mschaefer@phillynews.com.
