Willow Grove man arrested in 'Craigslist murder'

WEST OAK LANE - June 23, 2013

23-year-old Thomas Coffee has been arrested and charged with murder and related offenses.

It was around 11:00 p.m. Friday when police responded to the shooting near the intersection of Hollis and East Walnut Lane in West Oak Lane.

The victim has been identified as 27-year-old Daniel Cooke of Williamstown, N.J.

Police say Cooke's murder was premeditated and calculating.

Coffee allegedly lured Cooke through a Craigslist ad for an ATV.

Authorities say Cooke traveled to Philadelphia with his girlfriend and some friends to meet the seller.

Police say when he arrived at Hollis Street and East Walnut Lane, Cooke was shot and robbed. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

"He was a really good guy, a really good guy. Everyone liked him around here, he was a man of his word, I knew that," said Giuseppe Fricano, victim's friend.

In Williamstown, where Cooke is from, friends and family are devastated by his death.

Fricano said Cooke did what he had to make ends meet and care for his family.

"He was a family man. I know he had kids of his own and I know he was with this woman that had two of her own and he treated them like his own," said Fricano.

Meanwhile Coffee is no stranger to law enforcement. Court records reveal he has a long history of arrests for burglary, theft and firearms.

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