Two acquaintances of a gay Philadelphia man were arrested this week for his murder, which investigators are calling a drug-related robbery gone bad.
Philadelphia Police arrested Thomas Brennan, 25, on Monday in connection with the beating and stabbing death of Scott Bernheisel. Crystal Leibhart, 27, was also arrested and charged with robbery and related offenses.
Bernheisel’s body was found May 28 in a suitcase in Essington, near the Philadelphia International Airport. The Delaware County medical examiner determined the cause of death to be blunt-force trauma to the head; he had also been stabbed in the neck.
Investigators say Brennan killed Bernheisel during a robbery May 22 in the 200 block of Wilder Street in Pennsport, where Bernheisel, 41, whose most recent address was in the 900 block of Carpenter Street, was temporarily living.
Both Bernheisel and Brennan had previous drug arrests, and police spokesperson Leeloni Palmiero said drugs appear to have played a role in the robbery and killing. She said the victim and suspects knew one another prior to the crime.
Palmiero said investigators do not believe Bernheisel’s sexual orientation played any role in the killing. She noted that Leibhart identifies as bisexual.
How the incident progressed from a robbery to the gruesome murder is not yet clear.
“At this time, we do not know, as it is still under investigation,” Palmiero said, noting investigators are still working to determine when the suitcase was placed where it was found. “As of right now, we can only determine that it had been placed after murder. We do not have a date.”
Brennan was charged with murder, robbery with the intent to inflict serious bodily injury, conspiracy, theft by unlawful taking, receiving stolen property, possession of an instrument of crime and abuse of corpse. Bail was denied and he faces a preliminary hearing at 9 a.m. June 24 in Room 306 of the Criminal Justice Center, 1301 Filbert St. Brennan was arrested in October on drug-possession charges and was ordered to perform 12 hours of community service and pay $215.
Leibhart, who had no previous arrests in Philadelphia, was charged with robbery with the intent to inflict serious bodily injury, conspiracy, theft by unlawful taking, hindering apprehension or prosecution, receiving stolen property and obstructing the administration of law. She is being held at Riverside Correctional Facility on $500,000 bail.
Leibhart’s alleged role in the crime will be disclosed at her preliminary hearing, Palmiero said, which is scheduled for 8 a.m. June 23 in Room 503 of the Criminal Justice Center.