Relatives say 59-year-old Peter Miles, an army veteran and family peacemaker, did not deserve such a violent death.
Miles' body was discovered by his stepson who came to check on him this morning. Police say he'd been stabbed three times in the right side of his chest as he lay in bed. He may have been there for more than a day. They also say his neat and well-maintained home showed no signs of forced entry and nothing seemed to be missing.
Family members say a set of keys belonging to a female friend of Miles' was found in the mailbox. Her whereabouts are unknown and while police aren't releasing her name or calling her a suspect, they are interested in speaking with her.
The house where the stabbing occurred had belonged to Miles' mother and had long been a gathering place for his children and grandchildren. Relatives flocked there this afternoon to grieve together. "My uncle was just a real loving and caring person," said Lynette Hatton, Miles' great-niece. "He was liked by so many. We've never experienced anything like this. He didn't have enemies. He was truly a pillar of love." (OUTCUE= pillar of love."
Miles was also a fixture in this neighborhood: A poll worker on election days and always willing to lend a helping hand.
"I knew him for a real long time, he was a good guy," said neighbor Phyliis McNeil of West Philadelphia. "He was a painter. He used to paint things for me like my dining room cabinets and stuff like that."
Police aren't releasing any information about a suspect in this stabbing, but they do say this doesn't seem to be a random act of violence. Police believe Miles knew his murderer.
