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Andrew Kramer, 31, was initially charged with stealing 38-year-old Melissa Malcolm's car and debit card, Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Coffina said. Kramer was living with Malcolm in Mount Laurel, until she asked him to move out, Coffina said.
Malcolm -- a vet nurse at Blue Pearl in Levittown, PA -- failed to show up to work Wednesday, and was found dead in her bed by police performing a wellness check, authorities said. An investigation revealed that Kramer fled in her 2016 Jeep Grand Cherokee after killing her, Coffina said.
A driver who Kramer demanded a ride from at gunpoint later that evening convinced him to hide in a garage in Philadelphia, police said. That's when the driver called police, who found Kramer in the garage holding a gun to his chin around 5:45 p.m., authorities said.
After approximately 30 minutes of talking with Kramer, Philadelphia police were able to convince him to drop his loaded .25-caliber semi-automatic handgun, Coffina said.
Kramer, of Mantua, is facing additional charges of first-degree murder and weapons offenses, Coffina said.
A GoFundMe page honoring Malcolm remembers her as an advocate for animals. It had raised more than $1,700 as of Jan. 29.
"Melissa was strong, a voice of positivity, funny, and loving," the page reads. "She was a veterinarian nurse and had a true love and devotion to animals.
"She had a knack for finding animals that were sick, imperfect, or simply in need of love and giving them beautiful lives. She found the beauty in things that not everyone was able to see."
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