Two women have been charged with killing a man in Washington, DC, and dismembering his body in April, after one of them allegedly used his severed thumb to steal money from his bank account and spend it on Uber rides, marijuana and booze, according to court documents and police statements.
According to the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), Tiffany Taylor Gray, 22, was arrested in Maryland earlier this month on suspicion of first-degree murder in the death of Fasil Teklemariam, 53, whose body was found in his Washington, D.C. apartment on April 5.
One witness said Gray worked as a sex worker and that Gray had referred to Teklemariam as his “patron,” but police have not confirmed those claims, an MPD spokesperson told Fox News Digital.
Teklemariam, a married father of two, was found in his Peabody Street home with stab wounds, multiple blunt force fractures to his head and the loss of the thumb on his right hand, according to a GoFundMe page.
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Tiffany Taylor Gray (left) and Audrey Denise Miller were arrested on murder charges in connection to the death of 53-year-old Fasil Teklemariam. (U.S. Supreme Court for the District of Columbia)
Broken glass was also found around the body and on the bed, and forensic investigators determined that cleaning products had been used at the scene to cover up evidence, according to an arrest affidavit. No details about the cause of death were released.
Witnesses told police that Teklemariam’s thumb was used to access financial apps on his phone, which was stolen from the scene, to buy alcohol and drugs. Teklemariam’s thumb and phone have not yet been found.
Police say Gray is one of four suspects — two women and two men — currently being sought in connection with the murder. All four were seen on surveillance video using a key fob to enter Teklemariam’s apartment and remove items from it days before police discovered his body. Investigators believe Teklemariam was killed on April 1.
One of the suspects, Audrey Denise Miller, 19, of no fixed address, was arrested June 21 and charged with first-degree murder while armed in connection with the murder, MPD said. She is being held in custody awaiting a preliminary hearing.
According to the indictment, surveillance video shows Miller with Teklemariam before his death.
Faasil Teklemariam was found dead inside his Washington, DC, apartment on April 5, according to the Metropolitan Police Department. (Metropolitan Police Department)
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An anonymous witness told police that Gray and Teklemariam knew each other, that Gray called Teklemariam his “patron” and that she was involved in prostitution.
Witnesses told police they saw Gray use Teklemariam’s severed thumb to steal money from his account.
According to the affidavit, investigators said they made progress in solving the case after learning of a complaint Teklemariam filed with police last year alleging that Gray had taken his cell phone and used it to steal $1,800 from his financial app. The two met to meet at Gray’s apartment on Oct. 1, but the next morning Gray discovered she had left and that his cell phone was missing and charges had been made to his Cash App account.
Audrey Denise Miller is seen entering her apartment building. (U.S. Supreme Court for the District of Columbia)
They also found that Teklemariam’s cell phone had last rang from a cell tower in College Park, Maryland, close to where Gray was renting an apartment.
According to court documents, Teklemariam was last seen alive on the evening of April 1, when security camera footage showed him meeting Miller outside her apartment and then returning home with her.
According to court documents, the man left about 20 minutes later and returned a short time later with three cans of Coca-Cola. Gray, Miller and a male suspect were seen leaving the apartment late on April 1.
Police in Maryland targeted Taylor after a man reported being robbed at gunpoint by two suspects in her apartment. The man said he met Taylor on a dating app and arranged to meet her at her apartment. When he arrived, the two men burst out of the bathroom and robbed him at gunpoint.
He was forced to give up his bank PIN number and his home was robbed. Investigators say Gray repeatedly met men online and stole from them.
In April, a black Dodge Durango with the two suspects and Taylor was seen outside Teklemariam’s apartment.
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Tiffany Taylor Gray was seen on April 1 entering Fasil Teklemariam’s apartment with another suspect. (U.S. Supreme Court for the District of Columbia)
According to documents, the vehicle was impounded by police for a traffic violation, and shoes and a jacket inside the car matched those worn by one of the suspects who left Teklemariam’s apartment on April 3. The driver, who identified himself as Tommy Whack, is facing unspecified charges in Maryland.
Gray also was charged with armed robbery and armed kidnapping in the Maryland incident.
She is awaiting extradition to Washington, DC in connection with Teklemariam’s death.
