A North Philadelphia man accused of kidnapping two other men for ransom, shooting both and dumping them in Crescentville waived his preliminary hearing on May 27. Ken Thomas, 24, faces charges of murder, attempted murder, aggravated assault, robbery, kidnapping, weapons violations and conspiracy. Authorities have not disclosed whom Thomas may have conspired with in the crime.
On April 17, 2014, police were called to the 5600 block of Newtown Ave. at about 5:45 a.m. when they found two wounded men lying near railroad tracks. They had been bound with duct tape and shot multiple times each. Carl Johnson, 29, had wounds of the head, chest and leg. He died at the scene. The younger victim had wounds of the back, arm and leg. He was treated at Albert Einstein Medical Center and survived.
The survivor told police that gunmen abducted the victims in the Germantown area and drove them in a van. Thomas is scheduled for a Common Pleas Court arraignment on June 17. He is imprisoned without bail. ••
