Posted on Tue, May. 24, 2005





Camden man held in strangulation

By Troy Graham

INQUIRER STAFF WRITER


A man arrested in the death of a Camden woman found hidden in a closet admitted that he sat on her chest and strangled her, prosecutors said today.

The woman, Robin Mitchell, 39, was found dead on May 15 in an apartment in the 2300 block of Federal Street.

Investigators arrested Fernando Chapo, 29, yesterday. He was arraigned in Superior Court in Camden today, and his bail was set at $600,000.

Prosecutors said Chapo was an illegal immigrant from Mexico who used several aliases. When he was arrested, he had an identification under another name, said Assistant Camden County Prosecutor James Conley.

Chapo, who spoke through an interpreter in court, said he had the false identification so he could get a job.

Conley also said Chapo had the same date of birth and physical description as a man named Pedro Garcia, who was convicted of murder in Florida. He said the authorities were comparing fingerprints to determine if Chapo and Garcia are the same person.

Conley said several people may have been staying in the apartment where Mitchell's body was found, but he did not know if Chapo and Mitchell knew each other. He said they were not living together.

A man who did live in the third-floor apartment left the home on May 12 and returned two days later. The next morning, he discovered Mitchell's body hidden under some items in his closet, according to the criminal complaint.

http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/11726770.htm