Linfield Man in Custody for Possible Link to Phoenixville Murder

After two arrests, police feel they are closer to getting justice for Selvin Lopez-Mauricio, 22, who died in a downtown Phoenixville street from a gunshot wound in the very early morning on Sept. 14.

On Tuesday, Phoenixville Police took two individuals into custody on past warrants and questioned them about connections to Lopez-Mauricio’s death, which the Chester County Coroner’s Office has ruled a homicide. A woman is also wanted in connection to the murder.

Saleem Williams, 20, of Sharon Hill, and Stephen Reidler, 23, of Linfield, were arrested Tuesday at approximately 12:15 p.m. in the 200 block of Bridge Street.

“Williams and Reidler were questioned by investigators and admitted their involvement in the incident,” according to a press release issued by Phoenixville Police shortly after 2 a.m. on Sept. 21. “Williams and Reidler further implicated Monique Robinson as the female companion that was involved in the incident.”

The pair was charged with criminal homicide, robbery, weapons charges and more, and they will be arraigned before District Judge Theodore Michaels later today, Sept. 21.

Police are still seeking Robinson, 20, shown in the mugshot above, for the murder. Her last known residence was in the 700 block of West Bridge Street in Phoenixville, according to police. She's described as a light-skinned black woman with dark hair, five feet three inches tall and 155 pounds. Anyone with information on Robinson is asked to contact Det. Sgt. Joseph Nemic of Phoenixville Police at 610-933-5548.

Since the Sept. 14 shooting, police, with the help of county detectives, worked to find those responsible for gunning down Lopez-Mauricio.

The 22-year-old Prospect Street resident was returning home from his job on the night shift at Wendy’s in Limerick when he was accosted by a trio in the 100 block of Prospect Street shortly before 1 a.m. on Sept. 14, according to police.

At a press conference following the incident, Chief William Mossman told reporters that Lopez-Mauricio struggled up and down the street with two men and a woman, and a “tug of war” over a black knapsack ensued.

Lopez-Mauricio re-grasped the black bag but then he was shot at close range in the belly, Mossman said. When police arrived minutes later, Lopez-Mauricio was lying in the street, still conscious, and he was trying to speak but police couldn’t make out any words. He was pronounced dead at Phoenixville Hospital at 1:15 a.m.

Chester County detectives swarmed the borough, questioning downtown business owners and anyone who might have seen or heard anything during or after the scuffle on Sept. 14. 

The daytime arrests caught the eye of some downtown business owners Tuesday, and late Tuesday night there were reports that police were searching a Dumpster near the Pickering Creek Inn in the unit block of Bridge Street.

Patch will publish more information as it becomes available.