W. Phila. man found beaten to death in apartment

THEODORE HUDSON's co-worker was just trying to be a nice guy, checking on the West Philly resident's well-being.

He never imagined he'd walk into a crime scene, or find Hudson's body splayed facedown on the floor.

"It's just terrible," said the co-worker, who spoke with the Daily News on the condition of anonymity last night. "We can't believe this happened."

Hudson, 60, was found dead inside his apartment on Chester Avenue near 42nd Street just before 10 a.m. Monday.

The older man's head had "been bashed in," his co-worker said, and his home ransacked. Investigators believe that Hudson was beaten to death with a pair of bloody dumbbells that were found near his body, police said.

What sparked the fatal attack, as well as who carried it out, was unclear last night, police said. But sources close to the investigation said robbery was a strong possibility, given the condition of Hudson's apartment.

According to his co-worker, Hudson was a guy who kept to himself, who didn't say much outside work.

The two men had met in the office where both worked, at Earl Trent Realty - and that connection is what led the man to the gruesome discovery Monday morning.

Hudson was in charge of "paying the bills" at the firm, his co-worker said. So when another co-worker wasn't able to pick up an order of supplies Saturday at a hardware store because of an unresolved bill, the business' owner got concerned.

"We called Ted, but he didn't answer," the co-worker said. "It was odd that he wouldn't get on the phone."

So the boss sent two employees to Hudson's apartment to check on him. They knocked on the door and called out to Hudson but got no answer.

They were about to leave, according to the man who spoke with the Daily News, when they decided to try to open the door.

To their surprise, it was unlocked.

Hudson's apartment "was a mess," with furniture tossed about. Amid the chaos were two legs, which the man said he initially mistook for a mannequin.

When the reality of the discovery set in, the men called police. Medics pronounced Hudson dead at the scene.

"The whole thing is a shock," the co-worker said. "I still can't understand it."

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