PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Authorities have charged a Philadelphia man with four separate murders. They believe he was a hit man who could be responsible for many more deaths.
Law enforcement sources say, in just under eight months, Steven Williams killed four men, for thousands of dollars each, ambushing them in daylight hours.
The first, they say, is William Crawford, who was getting out of his car to visit his sister in Rhawnhurst early one morning in September 2018. He was shot multiple times and killed. The sources say it was at the hands of 25-year-old Williams.
In February 2019, Jermaine Simmons, 39, was sitting in his car in front of his home in West Oak Lane one day around 5 p.m. when he was gunned down.
Richard Isaac, 31, was killed in March 2019 while sitting on a porch in Mount Airy one day just before 4 p.m., when he was shot multiple times.
And Leslie Caroll, 46, was killed while in his son's car near Girard College. A car pulled up next to him, and a passenger inside shot at Caroll.
Sources say it was all Williams, and police are still trying to figure out how the men are linked.
Williams is now charged with four counts of murder, weapons offenses, conspiracy and tampering with evidence.
Officials believe others were involved, and they continue to investigate.
Editor's update on April 17, 2025
Steven Williams will spend at least four decades behind bars. The families of William Crawford, Jermaine Simmons, Richard Issac and Leslie Caroll were all present for the hearing. Judge Rose Defino-Natasi sentenced Williams to 40 to 80 years in prison. Authorities are continuing to investigate whether Williams was behind any other homicides in the city.