Damon E. Wylie, who is charged with the Friday homicide of Marcus L. Miles, was taken to Chester County Prison to await a preliminary hearing.
46-year-old Coatesville resident is accused of a fatal stabbing on Friday
By Kathleen Brady Shea, Managing Editor, The Times
The Coatesville man wanted in connection with a fatal stabbing Friday has been taken into custody, Chester County District Attorney Tom Hogan said today.
Hogan said that after an extensive manhunt, investigators found the suspect, Damon E. Wylie, 46, at Crozer-Chester Medical Center in Delaware County, where he was being treated “for injuries consistent with holding and using scissors as a weapon.”
On Friday at about 11 p.m., police responded to the 700 block of East Diamond Alley in Coatesville for a reported stabbing and found Marcus L. Miles, 41, with multiple stab wounds. He was transported to Paoli Hospital and pronounced dead at 1 a.m. Saturday morning, the criminal complaint said.
The complaint said a witness, who is not being identified, described a loud confrontation between Miles and Wylie, during which Miles repeatedly “chest-bumped” Wylie. The witness said Wylie struck Miles who stated, “I’m stabbed” as he exited the residence at 750 E. Diamond, collapsing several times as he tried to walk eastbound. The witness observed scissors in Wylie’s hand, the complaint said.
Investigators found a pair of blood-stained scissors in a nearby trash can, the complaint said.
“This was outstanding police work by the Coatesville Police Department and the Chester County Detectives,” said Hogan. “Working together, they responded quickly, sorted through a difficult crime scene, discovered key evidence, and located and arrested the defendant.
According to court records and published reports, Wylie, known as “Cool J,” has an extensive criminal history dating back to 1985 that includes cursing at a magisterial district judge who held him for trial on imprisonment and sexual assault charges in 1995 and telling the alleged victim that he would kill her and her family if she called the police.
Court records show convictions for aggravated assault and drug offenses. The murder warrant constitutes a probation violation for a 2009 drug offense, court records show.
Miles’ death marks the fifth homicide in Coatesville this year and the ninth in Chester County. The county had a total of nine homicides in 2011, according to Hogan.
