PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The Philadelphia man accused of killing his child’s mother and grandmother, then escaping and hiding out in a hotel near the airport, has been held for court on all charges.
Byron McDonald faces murder charges in the shooting deaths of Morgan Braxton and her mother, Tamara Aikens, back in April.
McDonald and Braxton had a 2-year-old boy together. Prosecutors say 28-year-old McDonald shot both women, kidnapped his son, and fled to a hotel in Southwest Philadelphia near the airport.
Braxton was found shot dead inside her home on North Eighth Street in Logan. Her red Chevy Malibu and toddler son were missing.
Related
Prosecutors showed video of the red Chevy Malibu driving down North Bancroft Street — a barrage of bullets is heard, then a subject drops. They say that’s Aikens.
They also linked cellphone records to McDonald and showed a video of McDonald’s mom checking into the Aloft hotel, where she, her son and the child stayed for a few days.
State police had issued an Amber Alert for the missing child.
Related
The Chevy Malibu was located at the Aloft hotel on April 12. Police were in a standoff with McDonald for hours, but he eventually surrendered and will now face murder charges.
The defense argues that prosecutors only had circumstantial evidence, and it wasn’t enough to hold the charges. The judge, however, said it was enough to hold over — for now.
The judge did dismiss a child endangerment charge.