Man charged in 2015 Port Richmond murder after TV show features case

A 28-year-old man has been charged with murdering a 22-year-old woman in Port Richmond in 2015 after a television crime show featured the case last month and generated a flurry of tips, according to police.

James Jones, a homeless man who had been in prison for an unrelated offense, was charged Friday with homicide and related counts for allegedly shooting Stephanie Dzikowski inside her home on the 3000 block of Aramingo Avenue on July 30, police said.

Dzikowski was shot with her 2-year-old daughter near her side, police said at the time. She was known in her neighborhood as a caring and loving mother, and she worked as a dental assistant after graduating from dental school.

Police said Friday that after a segment on Dzikowski's murder aired on Crime Watch Daily on Jan. 11, investigators received "several crucial tips" that led to Jones' arrest.

The show - hosted by Chris Hansen, famous for confronting suspected child molesters on the show To Catch a Predator - aired previously unreleased surveillance footage and depicted a person of interest, police said.

Police did not release additional details on what the tips revealed about Jones, or why he may have wanted to kill Dzikowski.

Court records show that Jones, who has a long arrest record, pleaded guilty to counts of robbery and burglary on Tuesday. He was to be sentenced in April, the records say.

On the murder charges, Jones was being held without bail, according to court records.