Two women have been accused of m*rdering and dismembering a man in Washington, D.C., with one of them allegedly using his severed thumb to steal money from his bank account, which she spent on Uber rides, marijuana, and alcohol, according to court documents and police reports.
Tiffany Taylor Gray, 22, was apprehended in Maryland this month (July 2024) under a first-degree murder warrant for the death of 53-year-old Fasil Teklemariam, discovered deceased in his Washington, D.C., apartment on April 5, 2024, as reported by the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
An MPD spokesperson informed Fox News Digital that one witness stated Gray worked as a sex worker and referred to Teklemariam as her “sugar daddy,” though these claims have not been confirmed by police.
Teklemariam, described as a married father of two on a GoFundMe page, was found inside his home on Peabody Street with stab wounds, severe blunt-force trauma to his head, and missing his right thumb.
The scene also included broken glass and evidence of attempts to clean up, per an arrest affidavit.
Details regarding his death have not been disclosed.
According to police, Teklemariam’s thumb was used to access a financial app on his stolen cellphone to purchase substances such as drugs and alcohol. Neither his thumb nor cellphone have been recovered.
Gray is one of four suspects—two women and two men—under investigation in connection with the killing. Surveillance footage shows all four entering Teklemariam’s apartments using a key fob and removing items in the days preceding his discovery.
Investigators believe Teklemariam was killed on April 1.
Audrey Denise Miller, 19, another suspect, was arrested on June 21 and charged with first-degree murder while armed in connection with the case. She remains in custody pending a preliminary hearing.
Charging documents indicate surveillance footage placing Miller with Teklemariam before his death.
An anonymous witness alleged that Gray and Teklemariam knew each other, with Gray referring to him as her “sugar daddy” and possibly engaging in prostitution. The witness claimed to have seen Gray use Teklemariam’s severed thumb to steal money from his account.
Investigators obtained a breakthrough when they learned Teklemariam had filed a police report accusing Gray of stealing $1,800 from his financial app the previous year, after she took his phone during a hangout session at his apartment on October 1.
Additionally, Teklemariam’s cellphone last pinged from a tower near Gray’s rented apartment in College Park, Maryland.
Teklemariam was last seen alive on April 1, captured by CCTV footage meeting Miller outside his apartment, returning inside briefly with her, then leaving to purchase beverages before returning home.
Gray, Miller, and a male suspect were seen leaving the apartment complex later that day.
Gray came under scrutiny in Maryland after a man reported being robbed at gunpoint at her apartment by two suspects. He had arranged to meet Taylor through a dating app but was ambushed when two men emerged from the bathroom, threatened him with a gun, and robbed him of his banking PINs. His residence was also burglarized.
Investigators revealed Gray had a history of meeting men online and stealing from them.
A black Dodge Durango linked to Gray and the suspects was spotted outside Teklemariam’s apartment complex in April. Police seized the vehicle during a traffic stop, where items inside matched those worn by a suspect seen leaving Teklemariam’s building on April 3.
The driver, identified as Tommy Whack, is facing unspecified charges in Maryland.
Gray faces additional charges of armed robbery and armed kidnapping in Maryland and awaits extradition to Washington, D.C., regarding Teklemariam’s death.
