Philadelphia magazine
The Killing Ground: A Month’s Worth of Philadelphia Murders [Philadelphia magazine]
by Hope Katz
Philadelphia magazine
April 1986
An oldie, but a goodie—this is the first article by Hope published in a “real” magazine. The topic is slightly gruesome, but it helped prepare her for her first job as Bureau Chief at Fairmont office of The Dominion Post. Her beat: courts / cops. Check out this first effort by the new reporter …
by Hope Katz
Philadelphia magazine
April 1886
ACCORDING TO THE HOMICIDE DIVISION of the Philadelphia Police Department, 25 murders were committed in Philadelphia during the month of January 1986. Of the 25 victims, 20 were males, 18 were black, four were white and three were Hispanic. Nineteen of the 25 were 40 years old or younger.
Suspects were arrested in 12 of the 25 cases. Of those suspects, 11 are males, nine are black, two are white and one is Hispanic.
Twenty-five murders are about average for the past few Januarys, but the total number of murders in 1985—274 of them—is far fewer than the 435 slayings in 1975. Police officials say the number of murders is decreasing, in part, because the number of 15-to-35-year-olds—the main age group of both killers and victims—is also dropping as a percentage of Philadelphia’s population.
Look inside to see the crimes …