Woman, 74, found murdered in burning house

Truly sad story from the Tioga section of North Philly.

When the first wisps of black smoke started to snake out of Reba Murphy's house shortly before 6 last night, her friends and neighbors started to worry.
There was a quick response. Murphy's home, on Erie Avenue near 21st Street, is a block away from Engine 59 and the 39th police district's headquarters.
Firefighters extinguished the blaze within minutes. But any hope friends had for Murphy's survival were soon wiped out in horrific fashion.
"I saw them take her out of the house. She was all stabbed up, and her face was smashed in," said Vanessa, a neighbor who didn't want her last name used.
Murphy, 74, was pronounced dead a short while later at Temple University Hospital. Firefighters had found her on the second floor of the house, where she laid severely beaten and stabbed several times in the head, face and torso, said Homicide Sgt. Bob Wilkins.
No arrests had been made last night, and the cause of the blaze was undetermined. Wilkins said investigators were going to interview Murphy's nephew and grandson, who both lived with her.
Detectives were aware that there had been "some kind of disturbance" involving another woman at Murphy's house at about 1 a.m. yesterday, Wilkins said.
Several neighbors speculated the woman was Murphy's grandson's girlfriend. Wilkins said it was too early in the investigation to identify any potential suspects.
Murphy's slaying stunned her neighbors, who described their stretch of Tioga as a little island where folks still look out for each other.
Many were accustomed to seeing Murphy outside every day, sweeping her tidy porch or chatting up local youngsters.
Sayeeda Abdullah, a longtime friend, said she "fell apart" when she learned of Murphy's death.
"I couldn't believe it. She was a beautiful person ... my prayers go out to her family," Abdullah said.
Murphy worked as a teacher's aide at nearby Cleveland Elementary School, said Cassandra Simmons, a local committeewoman.