A man already charged in the murder of a Philadelphia Dunkin’ employee and suspected in several other murders is now accused of shooting and killing his own mother earlier this year.
Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner approved murder charges against Keith Gibson, 39, in the fatal shooting of his mother, Christine Gibson, in February 2021.
Keith Gibson remains in custody in Delaware.
Gibson is also connected to several other crimes in the area and has an extensive criminal record dating back to 2010 in which he was convicted of manslaughter and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony.
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In June 2020, Gibson was released from prison and sent to Level IV Community Corrections custody.
Delaware Department of Corrections spokesman Jason Miller said Gibson violated probation by fighting with other offenders and was sentenced to six more months in prison, followed by 18 months of probation.
In December 2020, Gibson was once again released from prison and began his probation term.
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Then in January 2021, two men were shot dead in a store in Philadelphia’s Germantown neighborhood, but police did not recover a gun. Investigators said Gibson may have been involved in that shooting and continue to investigate his possible connection.
In February 2021, Gibson’s mother, Christine Gibson, was shot dead in her place of work in Philadelphia.
Family and friends told police Keith Gibson had been released from jail and raised concerns about his behavior. Police found Gibson had violated probation, but they did not recover a gun, and video didn’t show him at the location of his mom’s murder, meaning any evidence linking Gibson was only “circumstantial,” according to officials.
In a Delaware Department of Corrections report, Gibson’s probation officer wrote that Philadelphia police had contacted him to tell him Gibson was in their custody and being eyed as a suspect in his mother’s death. The officer requested that Gibson’s probation be revoked and that he be given a maximum sentence.
In March 2021, Gibson was extradited from Philadelphia to Delaware toward the end of the month, according to Miller.
On April 13, a probation violation hearing was held where the judge found Gibson guilty. Sentencing was delayed by two weeks to provide the defense time.
On April 27, at the sentencing hearing, Gibson's public defender presented new evidence that the 39-year-old had community support lined up as well as job prospects. Parole officials did not object to a recommendation by the public defender to sentence Gibson to time served plus 18 months probation. The judge accepted the recommendation.
On May 15, Leslie Ruiz-Basilio, a mother of two, was shot to death by a masked man while working at an Elsmere, Delaware, Metro by T-Mobile store. The man fled in Ruiz-Basilio’s vehicle. Elsmere police later contacted Philadelphia police, saying the man they were looking for fit Gibson’s description.
On June 5, a masked man carrying a revolver forced Christine Lugo, also a mother, into a Dunkin’ store in Philadelphia’s Fairhill neighborhood.
Surveillance video captured the suspect forcing Lugo to give him money – which Vanore said amounted to around $300 – before shooting and fleeing. Philadelphia police were then contacted by Elsmere police, and both agencies began working “very closely” together, officials said.
Around 2:24 a.m. on June 6, 42-year-old Ronald Wright was shot and killed in a street robbery in Wilmington, Delaware. Police are investigating whether Gibson was involved in that incident.
On Tuesday, June 7, Gibson was arrested on suspicion of pistol-whipping a Rite Aid clerk during another Wilmington robbery. Police tracked him down by using a GPS tracker that was in some of the money handed over to him.
They found him in possession of a revolver. The same type of weapon was used in the Philadelphia killing of Lugo at the Dunkin’ store.
On Wednesday, June 9, Krasner approved murder charges against Gibson in Lugo’s slaying. Officials have said they expect more charges, both in Philadelphia and Delaware.
Finally on Wednesday, June 16, Krasner approved murder charges against Gibson in his own mother’s slaying earlier this year.
