Vigil held for victims of 'Kensington Strangler'

PHILADELPHIA - December 10, 2010

The vigil was held where the body of one of the victims, Nicole Piacentini, was found on November 13th. She is one of two murder victims connected to the same man. Two assault victims have also been connected.

So far, the victims have been women involved in risky behavior in a dangerous neighborhood.

Still, no one in Kensington feels safe.

"He did a killing right around the corner from me, which was Elaine Goldberg. This guy needs to be caught right away," said Colleen DeWitt.

Surveillance video of a suspect in one of the assault cases was released on Thursday. The video, shot on Monday, showed the man drag a woman into an alley just off Kensington Avenue.

The woman was able to fight off her attacker, and got a good look at him. He had long sideburns down his cheeks and was wearing a hoodie along with white iPod earbuds.

The video came from a store on the corner.

On Friday, police also retrieved video from a charter school across the street and from a public school down the block. They're hoping to find more useful images.

The man in this video walks with a distinctive gate that police are hoping someone will recognize. They've gotten more than a dozen tip calls.

And, in at least one case, have interviewed a man and taken a DNA sample.

Police are asking people to be alert and report anything suspicious. But some are ready to take matters into their own hands.

"We catch him first, he's going down. That's the only thing I've got to say," said Leroy Maldanado.

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