Two brothers and a cousin from the area are charged in the killing of a 76-year-old man in Phoenixville

WEST CHESTER — Members of a multi-county family who allegedly killed a Phoenixville man before New Year’s two years ago in an apparent robbery that left the victim in a pool of blood in his home have been charged with murder, Chester County authorities said Thursday .

The District Attorney’s Office and Phoenixville Police announced the arrests of Raheem Pinder, Dayon Pinder and Nathaniel Pinder for the December 2020 murder of 73-year-old Ira Solomon. The three accused – two brothers and a cousin – were charged with murder, robbery, burglary, conspiracy and related offences.

They are being held in various jails without bail and are awaiting preliminary hearings soon.

Police said witnesses to the Pinders — Raheem Pinder, 46, of Pottstown, Deion Pinder, 44, of West Chester, and Nathaniel Pinder, 49, of Philadelphia — accused Solomon of owing them money and threatened him with a gun. time before he was found dead in his Dayton Street home in the borough.

The investigation lasted several months but was ultimately successful in bringing charges against the family, authorities said.

“It took great determination and hard work by Phoenixville Police, Chester County detectives and Pennsylvania State Police to arrest the Pinders for the murder of Ira Solomon four days after Christmas in 2020,” District Attorney Deb Ryan said in a statement. a press release issued on Thursday, the day after their official arrest.

“They pursued every lead, spoke to every possible witness, and found incontrovertible evidence that even the Pinders couldn’t escape,” Ryan said in her release. “We will continue to do everything we can to ensure that Mr. Solomon, his family and his loved ones receive the justice they deserve.

The alleged facts presented by the prosecutor’s office are as follows:

Phoenixville officers and EMS personnel were called to the 400 block of Dayton Street on Dec. 29 for a report of a deceased person. When police arrived, they found Solomon on the kitchen floor in a pool of blood with a gunshot wound to his right temple. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police found two 9mm shell casings in the kitchen and another shell casing in a nearby bathroom. He had a miniature baseball bat next to him and a cell phone on his belt. The gun was not found on the spot.

Investigators learned Solomon’s friends had been seeing and talking to him throughout the morning until about 11:30 a.m. At around 12:30pm, other friends arrived at his home and his body was discovered shortly afterwards.

Police spoke with a witness in the area who said he heard gunshots between 11:50 a.m. and noon. Later, detectives received information that the planned robbery of the victim took place.

By this time, one of Solomon’s friends had reported seeing an unknown silver or gray vehicle in the area before the shooting. During the investigation, detectives located the vehicle, a silver Nissan Altima, and identified the occupants. The owner of the Altima told police that she gave Dayon Pinder a set of car keys and that he was the only one who used the car at the time. time

Another acquaintance later confirmed to police, according to Chester County Detective Bernard Martin and Phoenixville Detective Nick Natale, that he had introduced Dayon and Nathaniel Pinder to Solomon before the murder. That acquaintance told police that on the day of the Pinders’ murder, they accused him of owing them money, and Raheem Pinder pulled out a semi-automatic handgun and pointed it at Solomon.

According to prosecutors, video taken from multiple cameras in the Dayton Street area on the day of the murder showed:

• An Altima was driven and parked near the victim’s home between 11:13 a.m. and 11:53 a.m.

• A man wearing a black baseball cap with white lettering, a black hooded sweatshirt, black pants, a black and white ski mask and a white skeleton glove gets out of his car and walks around the victim’s house.

• A man with a black drawstring bag with white writing on it, returned to the Altima twice and spoke to the passengers.

• Finally, a man who walks to Solomon’s house and minutes later runs and jumps into a speeding Altima.

On January 8, 2021, investigators searched a room at the Clarion/Quality Inn on Pottstown Pike in Oakland after learning that Deion Pinder was a longtime guest. They seized several cellphones and a black drawstring bag with white writing, which matched the surveillance footage. Examination of the bag’s exterior revealed particles similar to gunshot residue.

Hotel security footage showed the Pinders leaving the morning of the murder and getting into an Altima. Raheem Pinder is seen wearing the same clothes as the man filmed outside Solomon’s home.

A news release from prosecutors said the video later shows the Altima backing into the hotel parking lot at 12:17 a.m. on the day of the murder. Deion and Nathaniel Pinder are videotaped in the hotel lobby at 12:49 p.m. walking toward a dumpster with boxes before returning to the lobby at 12:51 p.m. without the boxes.

Police were able to obtain a cell phone and other records indicating the men were in the area of ​​the murder. Shell casings found at the crime scene were later linked to Raheem Pinder, who had a prior felony conviction that disqualified him from owning a firearm.

Raheem Pinder was arrested Wednesday and is being held without bail in the Chester County Jail due to the nature of the charges. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for September 6. Deion and Nathaniel Pinder were arrested on August 25 and are being held at SCI Houtzdale and Delaware County Jail.

After their arrest, Phoenixville Chief Brian Marshall said, “From the very beginning of the homicide investigation, District Attorney Ryan made it clear that every available resource was on the table to seek justice for Mr. Solomon.”

County detectives, county investigators, state police and the prosecutor’s office “spent hundreds of hours on this investigation,” Marshall said in a DA news release. “I want to thank each of them for their never-give-up attitude and acknowledge the overwhelming support of our citizens in Phoenixville who assisted in the early stages of the investigation.”

To reach staff writer Michael P. Relahan, call 610-696-1544.