WEST CHESTER, PA — The Chester County District Attorney’s Office and Phoenixville Police Department announced the arrest of Raheem Pinder, 46, of Pottstown, Dayon Pinder, 44, of West Chester, and Nathaniel Pinder, 49, of Philadelphia, for the December 2020 murder of 73-year-old Ira Solomon in Phoenixville. The three defendants – two brothers and a cousin – have been charged with murder, robbery, burglary, conspiracy, and related offenses.
“It took great determination and painstaking work by Phoenixville Police, Chester County Detectives, and the Pennsylvania State Police to bring the Pinders into custody for the murder of Ira Solomon four days after Christmas in 2020,” said Chester County District Attorney Deb Ryan. “They pursued every lead, talked to every possible witness, and uncovered irrefutable evidence that even the Pinders could not outrun. We will continue to do everything possible to get Mr. Solomon, his family, and his loved ones the justice they deserve.”
Phoenixville Police Chief Brian Marshall stated, “From the very beginning of this homicide investigation, DA Ryan made it unequivocally clear that every resource available was on the table to seek justice for Mr. Solomon. Phoenixville Police Detectives, Chester County Detectives, the Pennsylvania State Police, and the District Attorney’s Office have spent hundreds of hours on this investigation. I want to thank each of them for their “never give up” attitude and acknowledge the overwhelming support of our citizens in Phoenixville, who helped with the investigation during the early stages. The abundance of home security footage provided to investigators was vital in quickly focusing on the suspects. When a heinous act of taking another person’s life occurs, we will never stop seeking justice for the victim.”
The allegations in the complaint are:
Around 1:00 p.m. on December 29, 2020, the Phoenixville Police Department and paramedics were called to the 400 block of Dayton Street for the report of a deceased person. When police arrived, they found Ira Solomon on his kitchen floor in a pool of blood with a gunshot wound to his right temple. He was declared dead at the scene.
Police found two 9mm shell casings in the kitchen and another projectile in a nearby bathroom. A miniature baseball bat was beside the victim’s body, and a cell phone was in the victim’s waistband. No gun was found at the scene.
Detectives learned that friends of the victim saw and spoke to him throughout the morning until approximately 11:30 a.m. Around 12:30 p.m., other friends arrived at his house, and his body was discovered soon after.
Police spoke to a witness in the area who described hearing gunshots between 11:50 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. Detectives later received information that there was a planned robbery of the victim.
One of the victim’s friends reported seeing an unknown silver or gray car in the area before the shooting. Through their investigation, detectives located the car, a silver Nissan Altima, and identified the occupants. The Altima’s owner told police that she gave Dayon Pinder a set of keys to the car and that he was the only one who used the car between Dec. 25, 2020, and Jan. 1, 2021.
Another acquaintance later confirmed that before the murder, he had introduced Dayon and Nathaniel Pinder to the victim. This acquaintance told the police that on the day of the murder, the Pinders accused him of owing them money, and Raheem Pinder pulled a semiautomatic handgun and pointed it at him.
Video recovered from multiple cameras in the Dayton Street area on the day of the murder showed:
- The Altima being driven and parking in the vicinity of the victim’s home between 11:13 and 11:53 a.m.
- A man wearing a black baseball cap with white writing, a black hooded sweatshirt, black pants, a black and white ski mask, and a glove with a white skeleton on it exits the car and walks around the victim’s house.
- The man, carrying a black drawstring bag with white writing, walks back to the Altima twice and speaks to the occupants.
- Finally, the man walks toward the victim’s house and minutes later runs and jumps into the Altima, which speeds away.
On January 8, 2021, investigators searched a room at the Clarion/Quality Inn on Pottstown Pike in Uwchlan Twp after learning that Dayon Pinder was a long-term guest. They seized multiple cell phones and a black drawstring bag with white writing, consistent with the surveillance video images. Tests of the bag’s exterior revealed a particle consistent with gunshot residue.
The hotel’s security video shows the Pinders leaving on the morning of the murder and getting into the Altima. Raheem Pinder is seen wearing the same clothing as the man captured on video near the victim’s home.
Video later shows the Altima returning to the hotel parking lot at 12:17 p.m. on the day of the murder. Dayon and Nathaniel Pinder are captured on video in the hotel lobby at 12:49 p.m., walking towards a dumpster carrying boxes, before returning to the lobby at 12:51 p.m. without any boxes.
Police were able to obtain cell phone and geofence data that put the co-defendants in the area of the murder. The shell casings recovered from the crime scene were submitted to Bode Technology, and a DNA profile was found and entered into the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS).
On August 4, 2022, the Pennsylvania State Police Bureau of Forensic Services confirmed a match for defendant Raheem Pinder. Raheem Pinder was convicted of a prior felony that disqualified him from possessing a firearm.
Raheem Pinder was arrested on August 24 and is held without bail at Chester County Prison due to the nature of the charges. His preliminary hearing is set for September 6, 2022.
Dayon and Nathaniel Pinder were arrested on August 25 and held at SCI Houtzdale and Delaware County Prison.
Chester County Detectives and the Phoenixville Police Department are investigating. Chief of Staff Andrea Cardamone is the assigned prosecutor.
If you have information about this case, contact Phoenixville Police Detectives at 610-933-1180.
Information, a criminal complaint, or an arrest is not a declaration of guilt. A suspect, arrestee, or defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
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