WASHINGTON, D.C. – In a gruesome turn of events in Washington, D.C., a man’s murder was complicated by theft involving his severed thumb, say prosecutors. Tiffany Taylor Gray, 22, together with 53-year-old victim Fasil Teklemariam were last seen entering Teklemariam’s Peabody Street NW apartment on April 1, as captured by building surveillance footage. Allegedly, Teklemariam was Gray’s sugar daddy, according to one witness’s statement to the police.
Several days later, on April 5, Teklemariam’s body was discovered inside his apartment, displaying signs of brutal violence, including head trauma and stab wounds. Disturbingly, his right thumb had been cut off. An affidavit reveals the severed thumb was used post-mortem to operate a finance application on his cellphone, facilitating unauthorized purchases of liquor and drugs.
Further investigation into the string of events depicted by apartment surveillance illustrates Gray, 19-year-old Audrey Miller, and two male associates actively entering and exiting the apartment over several days. These individuals allegedly utilized Teklemariam’s key fob for entry and were observed removing items from the apartment. Cleaning agents were purportedly used in an attempt to obliterate the crime scene.
A significant lead emerged upon discovering a previous police complaint filed by Teklemariam against Gray, accusing her of stealing his phone and illicitly transferring $1,800 from his financial app. Adding to investigators’ leads, the last known geolocation of Teklemariam’s phone was traced to near Gray’s rental residence in College Park, Maryland.
Despite these findings, investigators have yet to recover Teklemariam’s missing thumb or the purloined electronics.
Audrey Miller was apprehended on June 21, charged with first-degree murder, amongst other allegations, and is currently detained pending a hearing. Gray was subsequently detained on July 1 in Prince George’s County on related charges and awaits extradition to D.C. for trial. The complex and heinous nature of this crime has left authorities piecing together the motivations and sequence of events that led to Teklemariam’s untimely and violent death.