Police have charged a 40-year-old man in the death of a 22-year-old woman who was found strangled to death in Juniata Park in December 2010.
William Walton was taken into custody yesterday and charged with murder today.
Victim Allison Edwards, who lived in Levittown with her mother and stepfather, had struggled with drugs and ended up in Philadelphia when she relapsed after about six months of sobriety. She was found Dec. 3, 2010 in an apartment on Glendale Street, near Erie Avenue. The circumstances surrounding her death initially set off rumors that she was a victim of the serial killer who was at the time preying on women in nearby Kensington, but police soon determined her death was unrelated.
Walton was a suspect in Edwards's death from the start, police sources said, but until this week, cops were not able to charge him. It's not yet known what changed, but check philly.com later today and tomorrow's Inquirer for more information on how police cracked the case.
Drugs can kill in so many ways. Sad.— 215PhillySean- Except the drugs didn't kill her, the man did...— cmomi24
- True, but more than likely, her drug habit led her to her death. That's why he said in "so many ways".— YouHaveGotToBeKidding
- Uh yea. The man that she'd likely not have met that day, if not for her relapse on drugs. Getting to the root of problems are the best way to learn from them and avoid them in the future.— 215PhillySean
Allison Steele was born and raised in Philadelphia. After attending New York University she worked at newspapers in New Hampshire and New Jersey, covering everything from Boston Red Sox fans to the presidential primary, before joining the staff of the Philadelphia Inquirer in 2008. She has covered crime and the Philadelphia Police Department since 2009. E-mail Allison here.
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