Philadelphia man admits murder at 69th Street Terminal

MEDIA COURTHOUSE — A Philadelphia man entered an open guilty plea Friday to murder in the third degree for the stabbing death of 32-year-old Christopher Brockenbrough at the 69th Street station in Upper Darby last year.

Christopher Damian Campbell, 29, of the 1100 block of South 51st Street, faces up to 40 years in prison at sentencing, set for Dec. 10 before Court of Common Pleas Judge John Capuzzi. He remains in custody at the county jail in Concord without bail.

Officers were called to the 69th Street transportation center about 2:34 a.m. Aug. 24, 2020, for a report of a stabbing, according to an affidavit of probable cause for his arrest written by Detective Leo Hanshaw.

Patrol Sergeant Robert Bennett was first on location, followed by Officer Edwin Dubek. The officers found a Black man, later identified as Brokenbrough, lying face-up on the ground with a large penetrating chest wound and blood surrounding him, according to the affidavit. Dubek began to render medical aid until Delaware County Memorial Hospital paramedics arrived, but the victim was pronounced dead at the scene by medics at 2:43 a.m., according to the affidavit.

Officers interviewed witnesses in the area, including a woman who said she knew Brockenbrough and Campbell, and had witnessed the stabbing. That woman told police “Chris” had confronted Brockenbrough because he did not want the victim selling drugs on the SEPTA platform, according to the affidavit.

“Chris stated to the victim that, ‘I will kill you tonight or I’ll go to jail tonight,’” the affidavit says. “The victim then began swinging two socks, which had rocks in them, at Chris. Chris then pulled out two knives, and he started to chase the victim. Chris then caught up to the victim and stabbed him in the chest. Chris stated, ‘I’m a kill you’ (and) ‘You’re gonna die tonight,’ while chasing the victim. The victim yelled, ‘Don’t kill me.’”

The woman allegedly told police that Campbell left the area after the stabbing because his friends were telling him to go change his clothes. She said she later saw Campbell wearing an Enforcement Security polo shirt, which someone gave him, and that he had discarded a multicolored shirt he originally had on. She said she last saw Campbell walking on Market Street towards West Chester Pike.

The woman was able to “immediately” identify Campbell as the killer from a photo array of eight men, according to the affidavit. Investigators spoke with her again concerning an earlier altercation in which Campbell and two other people allegedly chased Brockenbrough on the platform towards Market Street earlier in the night, but she reported that she did not know the other men.

Another witness interviewed by Detective Thomas Thompson gave a similar account of the stabbing, according to the affidavit, saying Campbell had a knife in each hand and that Brockenbrough had a sock in each hand filled with rocks.

“Chris ran past Witness #2 with two knives in his hands while … Witness #2 was waiting for a bus,” the affidavit says. “Chris and the victim had words and walked down to the end of the platform, where a SEPTA bus was parked and the operator was standing near the bus. Witness # 2 explained the two of them fight, or so the witness thought, and Chris came running back down the platform wiping the knife off. Chris then said, ‘I told y’all I’m not playing with him,’ or something.”

The second witness also described seeing Campbell and three or four Black males chase Brockenbrough up Market Street about two hours before the stabbing, according to the affidavit, and also immediately positively identified Campbell as the man who stabbed the victim.

Hanshaw obtained video footage from a SEPTA bus parked near the stabbing, which allegedly showed Campbell walk over to the bus platform to confront the victim. The video shows Campbell following Brockenbrough away from the terminal towards the bus, according to the affidavit, while the victim turns around several times looking back at Campbell.

“Campbell stops towards the end of the platform and drops his bag and then walks towards the victim with both his arms extended in a low position,” the affidavit says. “As they walk closer to the bus the victim has socks in his hands, and Campbell has what appears to be at least one knife in his right hand.”

The two men go in and out of view of the camera after reaching the end of the platform, according to the affidavit, but Campbell can be seen with both his hands up in front of him, “moving around in a fighting stance.”

After going out of frame a final time, Campbell can be seen walking back toward the main terminal, according to the affidavit. Brockenbrough takes a couple of steps in that direction before turning around and heading toward the end of the platform.

“As the victim is walking towards the end of the platform, he appears to become unsteady on his feet,” the affidavit says. “Although not seen on camera, this is where the victim is found later by police and paramedics.”

A review of additional video in the terminal area showed Brockenbrough was involved in another altercation with another person around 10:48 p.m. Sunday night, during which he was knocked to the ground, according to the affidavit.

In that video, other people in a group at the terminal approach the victim and appear to be arguing and or upset with him, the affidavit says, but Brockenbrough was able to leave the area by himself after the altercation.

Video surveillance allegedly shows Campbell walking across the 6800 block of Market Street from a convenience store to the bus platform at 2:19 a.m. Monday. He allegedly confronts the victim and it appears that there is an argument.

Brockenbrough walks away from Campbell toward the end of the bus platform and Campbell walks back over to the convenience store, where he is seen on video purchasing two folding lock-blade knives at approximately 2:24 a.m., the affidavit says.

Campbell returns to the bus platform with the knives and the fatal confrontation begins, according to the affidavit. After the stabbing, Campbell allegedly returns to the store, changes his shirt and discards the knives and his old shirt in a box of trash in front of the store. Those items were later recovered by police, according to the affidavit.

Capuzzi ordered a presentence investigation, as well as a substance abuse and psychological evaluation prior to sentencing.