On February 22, 2014, 30-year-old Alida Maria Cruz was shot to death inside a Ford Windstar van in Philadelphia. A companion, 35-year-old Antorie D. Coates, was also shot and killed. The van was later driven to the 4600 block of Trenton Avenue in the Frankford neighborhood, doused in gasoline and set on fire; the blaze burned the victims beyond recognition.

Investigators connected the killings to a man identified as William Pookie Deputy. Surveillance footage from a nearby towing yard captured part of the incident; a towing employee said he saw Deputy preparing to set the van on fire and warned him he was being recorded. Deputy was later found in a home in Upper Darby with fresh burn marks and a singed beard and was arrested on murder, arson and related charges.

Reports say Coates was believed to have stolen several thousand dollars from Deputy and that Cruz was an innocent bystander. The families of both victims publicly forgave the killer during the court process. Does anyone have information about Cruz’s life in Philadelphia or memories to share that might help keep her memory alive?