Photo: Philadelphia Police Department
A suspected serial killer has been indicted on 41 felony charges following a weekslong crime spree in Pennsylvania and Delaware earlier in the year. Authorities said that Keith Gibson, 39, killed two people and injured four more during the crime spree.
Despite being charged with just two counts of murder, Gibson has been linked to multiple killings in Pennsylvania, including the murder of his mother. He was also charged with firearms violations, robbery, conspiracy, and possession of an illegal substance with intent to sell.
Gibson's crime spree started just a few weeks after he was released from prison following a 13-year sentence for manslaughter. Prosecutors said that on May 15, Gibson shot and killed Leslie Ruiz-Basilio, 28, during a robbery and then stole her car. On June 5, Gibson allegedly struck again, killing Christine Lugo, 40, and Ronald Wright, 42, during separate robberies.
Over the next three days, he allegedly robbed and assaulted three other people and tried to kill one of them. He was taken into custody in Deleware on June 8.
"This indictment lays out one of the most vicious, staggering crime sprees I've seen in my career," Delaware Attorney General Kathy Jennings said. "It is even more disturbing to think, based on what investigators have revealed in Pennsylvania, that this may just be the tip of the iceberg. We have assigned some of the DOJ's most experienced prosecutors to this case, and we will ensure that this man faces justice for the senseless carnage that he has caused. In the meantime, my heart is with the victims, especially the families of Leslie Basilio and Ronald Wright. My thanks go out to our law enforcement partners, including the indispensable efforts of the Elsmere and Wilmington Police Departments."
Officials in Pennsylvania are also planning to file charges against Gibson for the alleged murder of his mother, Christine Gibson, 54, in February and a double-murder committed in January in Philadelphia.