Suspected serial killer convicted of 41 counts in Delaware

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Dover, Dell — A suspected serial killer accused of killing multiple people in Delaware and Pennsylvania has been charged with 41 felony counts, including two murders, authorities said Tuesday.

Delaware prosecutors allege Keith Gibson, 39, killed two people and injured four others in Delaware during a weeks-long crime spree earlier this year.

Gibson is also a suspect in several murders in Pennsylvania this year, including the murder of his mother and the robbery and murder of a donut shop manager in North Philadelphia.

“This indictment identifies one of the most egregious and staggering crime incidents I have seen in my career,” Delaware Attorney General Kathleen Jennings said in a statement Tuesday. “It’s very disturbing to think, based on what the Penn State investigators have revealed, that this might just be the tip of the iceberg.”

Gibson, who was previously convicted of manslaughter and possession of a firearm while committing a felony, was released from prison on December 20 after a 13-year sentence. Authorities said Gibson violated the terms of his probation and was briefly detained before being released again on April 27.

Investigators allege Gibson shot and killed 28-year-old Leslie Ruiz Basilio during a burglary at a mobile phone store in Elsmere, Delaware, on May 15, and then stole her car.

Prosecutors said Gibson shot and killed 42-year-old Ronald Wright during a June 5 street robbery in Wilmington, and shot another man.

Earlier in the day, Kristen Lugo, 40, was assaulted by a gunman when she opened a donut shop in Philadelphia. Philadelphia police allege Gibson pushed her inside at gunpoint, took about $300, shot her in the head and fled. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

Authorities believe Gibson robbed or assaulted three other people in Delaware, and attempted to kill one of them, over the next three days. He was arrested on June 8 in connection with a Wilmington Rite-Aid robbery in which a clerk was whipped with a pistol.

Authorities in Pennsylvania also plan to charge Gibson with the murder of his mother, Kristen Gibson, 54. She was found shot dead in February. He’s also a suspect in a January double murder in Philadelphia’s Germantown neighborhood.

“We are still waiting for his extradition before we can charge him with the murders he committed in Philadelphia,” Philadelphia Police spokeswoman Tania Little said in an email on Tuesday.

It was not immediately clear if Gibson had a lawyer who could comment on his behalf.

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