At 8:17 a.m. on the morning of Saturday, April 22, 2006, a female student was stabbed on South Campus at the Village Apartments. The victim, identified as Tiffany Ford, received minor knife cuts on the wrists and abdomen and was rushed to Chester County Community Hospital where she was treated for a stab wound to the stomach and released. The stabbing occurred at the Village Apartments complex in building 188 where Ford resided in apartment 5. The suspect, identified as 29-year-old WCU student Phillip Washington, was wanted for the murder of Andre Newton, 29. He was arrested shortly after the incident.
Ford and Washington are thought to have known each other, however, no specific relationship between the two could be immediately identified. Washington is said to have admitted to the homicide, which allegedly took place on Thursday, April 20. The victim of the homicide was killed with a single gunshot wound to the head.
Building 188 was still taped off by police when The Quad arrived at the scene shortly before 10 a.m. on Saturday morning.
Washington was said to have admitted to the homicide and was arraigned Saturday night. He is being held on one million dollars bail and was remanded to Chester County Prison. Washington could face a maximum sentence of life in prison.