Kaboni Savage (born January 1, 1975) is an American drug dealer, organized crime leader, and murderer who is currently on federal death row for ordering the firebombing of a house where a federal witness lived, killing six people (including four children). He is the first man from
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
in modern history to receive a federal death sentence. He has twelve convictions for murder in aid of racketeering, one fewer than the
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
state record, and the most for anyone in Philadelphia.
Savage was the first person sentenced to death by the
since the federal death penalty resumed in 1988.
History
![Federal Detention Center Philadelphia](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2c/Federal_Detention_Center_Philadelphia.jpg)
Savage, a former student of
Frankford High School, began boxing at the Front Street Gym in North Philadelphia. He had one professional boxing fight, which he won.
[ Savage's father died of cancer when he was 13 years old.
Savage began his operations as a drug dealer in ]Hunting Park
Hunting Park is a neighborhood in the North Philadelphia section of the United States city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
In 2005, the 19140 ZIP code, which roughly consists of Hunting Park and Nicetown–Tioga, had a median home sale price of $3 ...
and became a higher-level dealer.[ According to federal authorities, Savage, from 1998 to around 2004 distributed hundreds of kilograms of cocaine in the Philadelphia area.]
Authorities accused Savage of personally killing a stranger, Kenneth Lassiter, after Lassiter's car bumped into Savage's while the two were trying to park their respective cars.[ Savage was acquitted of Lassiter's murder after the lead witness in the case, Tybius "Tib" Flowers, was also murdered. Savage is suspected of ordering Flowers's murder.][
Savage ordered the deaths of others, including that of Carlton Brown, a drug dealer and competitor of Savage who was shot by hitman Lamont Lewis in 2001. Savage also ordered five other deaths of adult men][ and engaged in multiple attempts at intimidation while held at ]Federal Detention Center, Philadelphia
The Federal Detention Center (FDC Philadelphia) is a United States Federal prison in Center City, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania which holds male and female inmates prior to or during court proceedings, as well as inmates serving brief sentences. It ...
(FDC Philadelphia,), [UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. DAWUD BEY a/k/a “Cool”]
" U.S. Department of Justice
The United States Department of Justice (DOJ), also known as the Justice Department, is a federal executive department of the United States government tasked with the enforcement of federal law and administration of justice in the United State ...
. p. 2/13. threatening to kill children of those who testified against him.[
Less than one week after he was acquitted in the Lassiter case, Savage was arrested and accused of heading a drug trafficking network.][ He was convicted of 14 out of 16 charges and received a 30-year sentence.] Savage was convicted of multiple charges, including money laundering, witness intimidation, and drug offenses. Savage was imprisoned in a federal facility near Florence, Colorado.
Savage's daughter, Ciara "CeCe" Savage, a student at Ross Elementary School, died at age 9 during a gang shooting in York, Pennsylvania
York ( Pennsylvania Dutch: ''Yarrick''), known as the White Rose City (after the symbol of the House of York), is the county seat of York County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located in the south-central region of the state. The populati ...
. Police and Jasmine Vadell, Ciara's mother, said the shooting was unrelated to Savage's gang activities in Philadelphia. Vadell had raised Ciara alone and had not been romantically involved with Savage for years.[
]
Firebombing
Eugene "Twin" Coleman,[ who was previously working with Savage, was arrested and put in federal custody on October 8, 2004 and agreed to testify against Savage in a drug trial. ][ ()] In March 2003, after Coleman murdered his friend, 26-year-old Tyrone Toliver of Cherry Hill, New Jersey
Cherry Hill is a township within Camden County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the township had a population of 74,553, which reflected an increase of 3,508 (+4.94%) from the 71,045 counted in the 2010 census. ,[ federal agents encouraged Coleman's 54-year-old mother,][ Marcella Coleman, a ]prison guard
A prison officer or corrections officer is a uniformed law enforcement official responsible for the custody, supervision, safety, and regulation of prisoners. They are responsible for the care, custody, and control of individuals who have been ...
at the Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility,[ to move to a new house; believing that she could defend herself, she refused.][ Savage was convicted partly due to Coleman's testimony.][
In return, Savage ordered Marcella Coleman's house in ]North Philadelphia
North Philadelphia, nicknamed North Philly, is a section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is immediately north of Center City. Though the full extent of the region is somewhat vague, "North Philadelphia" is regarded as everything north of either ...
to be burned down. At the time, Savage was in custody at FDC Philadelphia.[ At about 5 a.m. on October 9, 2004, the rowhouse was firebombed. The fire originated in a living room on the first floor, traveled quickly, and was extinguished after about 20 minutes.][ There were no survivors;][Anastasia, George.]
Hell In A North Philadelphia Row House
" ''The Independent Voice
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in En ...
''. September 19-October 2, 2013. p. 4. Retrieved on August 16, 2016. it was the deadliest mass murder
Mass murder is the act of murdering a number of people, typically simultaneously or over a relatively short period of time and in close geographic proximity. The United States Congress defines mass killings as the killings of three or more pe ...
in Philadelphia since the Lex Street murders
The Lex Street massacre is the name, given by a ''Philadelphia Daily News'' reporter, to a mass murder that took place in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States on December 28, 2000. It was the deadliest mass murder in Philadelphia history. Te ...
in 2000.[ Included in the death toll were Coleman; her 15-month-old son Damir Jenkins; three other youths related to Coleman, 10-year-old Khadjah Nash, 12-year-old Tahj Porchea, and 15-year-old Sean Rodriguez ; and 34-year-old Tameka Nash, Coleman's cousin and the mother of Khadjah Nash.][ The family dog, a pit bull, also perished.
After learning that Eugene had been temporarily released from prison to attend the funeral of his relatives, a bug in Savage's cell recorded him remarking "They should stop off and get him some barbecue sauce … pour it on them burnt bitches."
Savage's sister, Kidada Savage, known as "Da" or "Lil' Sis",][ helped plot this crime by recruiting Lamont Lewis, the hitman.][
Lewis had been previously acquitted of killing Carlton "Muhammad" Brown, who died in 2001.][ Lewis in turn asked Robert "B.J." Merritt, Jr., his cousin, to help him.] Kidada Savage showed the hitman where the house was located.[ According to federal prosecutors Merritt was the one who lit a gasoline can and threw it, and another one into the house.] Lewis said that both he and Merritt tossed cans into the house.[
Lewis stated that he did not know children were in the house until after they died, and that Kidada Savage only gave him $2,000 even though she promised him $5,000. After authorities captured Lewis he agreed to cooperate.][
Coleman stated that Dawud "Cool" Bey, another drug dealer who was communicating with Savage while being held at FDC Philadelphia,][ told him that Savage wanted his family dead.][
Police did not find Lewis at a house in ]West Philadelphia
West Philadelphia, nicknamed West Philly, is a section of the city of Philadelphia. Alhough there are no officially defined boundaries, it is generally considered to reach from the western shore of the Schuylkill River, to City Avenue to the nort ...
which they believed was his,[ but later arrested him in 2007 when he was driving his car.][
]
Trials and sentencing
Savage was held at FDC Philadelphia during his trial. The prosecution sought death sentences for Kaboni Savage, Merritt, and Northington.
Jury selection for Savage's trial occurred in September 2012. Lamont Lewis served as the star witness,[ testifying against Kaboni and Kidada Savage as well as Merritt and Steven Northington.] The trial ended in May 2013.[ On May 13, 2013, Savage was convicted of 17 charges, including 12 counts of murder in aid of racketeering.][
In June 2013, Savage was given 13 death sentences, one for witness intimidation and one each for a total of 12 racketeering murders, including those from the retaliatory firebombing. The sentences were formally pronounced by Judge ]Richard Barclay Surrick
Richard Barclay Surrick (born 1937) is a senior United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
Education and career
Born in Media, Pennsylvania Surrick received a Bachelor of Arts degr ...
.[
Savage, ]Federal Bureau of Prisons
The Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) is a United States federal law enforcement agency under the Department of Justice that is responsible for the care, custody, and control of incarcerated individuals who have committed federal crimes; that i ...
# 58232-066, is currently incarcerated in ADX Florence
The United States Penitentiary, Florence Administrative Maximum Facility (USP Florence ADMAX), commonly known as ADX Florence, is an American federal prison in Fremont County near Florence, Colorado. It is operated by the Federal Bureau of Pris ...
near Florence, Colorado
The City of Florence is a Statutory City located in Fremont County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 3,822 at the 2020 United States Census. Florence is a part of the Cañon City, CO Micropolitan Statistical Area and the Front ...
.
In May 2013, Kidada Savage was convicted of various crimes, including retaliating against witnesses and aiding racketeering. In February 2014, Surrick imposed a sentence of life imprisonment plus a consecutive ten-year sentence; the life sentence was mandatory. Kidada Savage tried to delay the sentencing but Surrick denied the request.[ Kidada is now BOP #04867-748 at FCI Tallahassee.
Merritt avoided a possible death sentence after he was only convicted of non-capital charges. He was given a life sentence as BOP #59317-066 at USP Terre Haute.][ After the jury spared his life, Northington received a life sentence as BOP #58967-066 at USP Coleman I.
Due to his cooperation, Lewis was given a 40-year sentence, the minimum allowed under his plea agreement.] The judge cited his "powerful" testimony and said he seemed genuinely remorseful for what he did.
As an example Lewis's remorsefulness, Assistant U.S. Attorney John Gallagher shared a chat he had overheard between Lewis and a detective. During a break in a meeting with investigators, Lewis said he was going to hell for what he'd done. The detective told Lewis he couldn't know that since God was forgiving. Lewis replied that he'd been raised in church, saying "There is no redemption for me."
In an earlier interview, Lewis said he and Merritt had believed only Coleman's mother and brother were home, and were shocked after learning how many people were killed in the firebombing. "We both were really messed up about what happened," he said.
See also
* Capital punishment by the United States federal government
Capital punishment is a legal penalty under the criminal justice system of the United States federal government. It can be imposed for treason, espionage, murder, large-scale drug trafficking, or attempted murder of a witness, juror, or court ...
* List of death row inmates in the United States
, there were 2,414 death row inmates in the United States. The number of death row inmates changes frequently with new convictions, appellate decisions overturning conviction or sentence alone, commutations, or deaths (through execution or otherw ...
References
External links
United States of America v. Kaboni Savage Criminal Action No. 07-550-03
Kaboni Savage articles
at CBS Philadelphia
{{DEFAULTSORT:Savage, Kaboni
Living people
1975 births
American mass murderers
American murderers of children
21st-century American criminals
People convicted of murder by the United States federal government
American people convicted of murder
Prisoners sentenced to death by the United States federal government
Criminals from Philadelphia
North Philadelphia
Mass murder in Pennsylvania
Mass murder in the United States
Mass murder in 2003
2003 murders in the United States
American male boxers
Inmates of ADX Florence