PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Maurice Louis pleaded guilty to four counts of 3rd-degree murder for the killing of his family more than three years ago.
Police say they were conducting a wellness check at Walton Avenue near 51st Street on Oct. 30, 2019, around 1 p.m. and couldn’t get inside, so they climbed through an open second-floor window where they found Louis, 32, naked, sitting on a chair and drinking from a liquor bottle.
Prosecutors say Louis told them everyone in the house – his mother, step-father and two step-brothers – was dead but him.
Inside the house, police found Louis’ 51-year-old mother, Janet Woodson, shot by the front door and his 56-year-old stepfather Leslie Holmes dead by the basement door.
They also found his 18-year-old step-brother Sy-eed Woodson fatally shot in his bedroom and his 7-year-old step-brother Leslie Woodson Jr. dead in the kitchen.
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Police officials say Louis confessed to homicide detectives while being interviewed a few hours after the discovery and told the judge he suffers from depression and a related mental wellness issue.
He will be sentenced in April and could face up to the rest of his life in prison.
Editor's update, Nov. 9, 2023
On Nov. 8, Maurice Louis was sentenced to a total of 40 to 80 years in prison after pleading guilty in January. Two relatives of his, and his family, spoke to the judge via Zoom, expressing their devastation after the murders, but also showing compassion for Louis, asking the judge for him to get help. The judge recommended he spend significant time in a state mental facility.