PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A Philadelphia judge upheld all charges — including murder — against the man accused of kidnapping and killing 23-year-old Kada Scott, and burying her body in a shallow grave in Germantown.
Loved ones of Scott held their heads down and sobbed as prosecutors played a video showing the moments after investigators found the 23-year-old's decomposed body. Police had been searching for her for weeks after a coworker saw her walk out of her Chestnut Hill job on Oct. 4, 2025, saying, "I can't believe you called me," to someone over the phone.
Through cellphone data and surveillance video, detectives tied who they said is 21-year-old Keon King driving to Scott's work on Oct. 4. Both of their cellphones were tracked leaving together — hers, going dead within 20 minutes.
Scott's iPhone and iPad dropped contact a few blocks away, but her Apple watch was in the parking lot of the Awbury Recreation Center in Germantown.
Officials linked that to video evidence showing two people removing something heavy from a stolen car to the area where Scott's body was found on Oct. 18.
Prosecutors showed a map outlining both Uber GPS and cellphone data with a ride they said King took to his home in Southwest Philly. A friend testified she ordered him that ride under her account because King said he was having car issues.
Defense tried to pick apart the investigation, specifically the cellphone data, which used Wi-Fi and subscriber information rather than cellphone towers, as well as who ordered the Uber rides. They argued there was no physical evidence that tied King to the murder.
But judge Karen Simmons disagreed and upheld all charges, including murder, robbery, kidnapping, abuse of corpse and related offenses.
King will be arraigned later this month.
