July 24, 2015
Philadelphia Police Department /Contributed Art
James Harris, 56, faces multiple charges in the death of 27-year-old Jasmine Wright, a recent graduate of Drexel University whose body was found in her West Philadelphia apartment on July 16.
Philadelphia police announced Friday the arrest of a suspect in the death of 27-year-old Drexel University graduate Jasmine Wright, whose body was discovered July 16 with head and neck injuries in her West Philadelphia apartment.
James Harris, 56, was arrested and charged with multiple crimes after homicide detectives returned positive DNA results following an investigation of the crime scene, a third-floor apartment located on South 50th Street. Wright was found with what appeared to be blunt force trauma to her head and neck and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Homicide Captain James Clark said during a Friday press conference that Harris, a handyman, is a "career criminal" who had been terminated and banned from the building a week before the murder, CBS 3 reports. Wright had been on the phone with her mother during the time of the attack, Clark said.
Police suspect that Harris retained keys to the building and may have made a copy of Wright's apartment key, as there were no signs of forced entry.
Harris' criminal record includes 31 previous arrests, including the murder of his father and a string of sexual assaults, robberies and burglaries. He is now charged with Murder, Robbery, Rape, Burglary, Sexual Assault, Criminal Trespass, Theft and related offenses for the murder of Jasmine Wright.
