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Naima Ishmail was discovered lifeless on the Front and Norris Streets walking trail near the waterfront in Chester City with a gunshot wound to the head on the morning of Oct. 7, the Delaware County District Attorney's Office said Monday.
Champion Hough, 25, of Brookhaven, has been charged with first, second, and third-degree murder, among other offenses, authorities said.
An unnamed witness told investigators that they last spoke to Ishmail around 8:40 p.m. the night before and that she drives a 2006 gold Chrysler 300, according to the DA's office.
Surveillance video later obtained by detectives shows a person entering Ishamil's car at 8:45 p.m. on the night of the murder, authorities said. Investigators said Ishmail was last seen with her boyfriend, also known to the witness as "Mecca," and "Wayne."
After being shown a photo array, the witness positively identified the person as "Mecca." Investigators learned Ishmail and Hough exchanged multiple text messages prior to her murder.
Her car was found in Chester and processed for evidence, which revealed gunshot residue on the steering wheel and the gearshift, the DA's office said.
On Nov. 10, a DNA sample taken from Hough matched the DNA evidence discovered in Ishamil's car, authorities said.
Hough is currently being held at SCI Phoenix on a parole violation. He is awaiting transportation to Delaware County for arraignment on the new charges.
“Prior to this cold-blooded murder, the defendant and his victim were engaged in an intimate relationship," District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer said.
"On the night of her murder, and clearly unaware of what was to come, the victim drove to the defendant’s home and picked him up. From there, she drove to the riverfront spot where he promptly executed her. This was a premeditated, heinous act of violence."
Ishmail graduated from Chester High School in 2013 before attending the Pennsylvania Institute of Technology until 2015, her obituary says.
She was remembered on her obituary as an honest, loving, and compassionate person.
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