A year later, police offer reward in murder case
$5G reward offered for info that leads to murderer of Marika Benson
UPPER DARBY >> One year to the day a young woman was found beaten and scalded to death in her Secane apartment, the township’s police chief announced a $5,000 reward for information in the unsolved murder.
Police Superintendent Michael Chitwood stated the decision was made to make the announcement on the one-year anniversary of the death of Markia Benson, 36, who lived alone in the New Orleans Apartment complex.
“The Upper Darby Police Foundation is offering $5,000 for any information leading to the arrest and conviction of the animal who committed this horrendous crime,” Chitwood said.
The chief reported Benson died from blunt force trauma to the head and neck and was burned from hot water.
“Whoever did it then put her in the shower and put the hot water on and scalded her,” Chitwood.
The three investigators into the killing flanked Chitwood — Capt. David Madonna and detectives William Sminkey, the lead investigator, and Thomas Thompson, with two family members of the victim, Markia’s mother, Paula Davidson, of Philadelphia, and sister, Monique Benson, of Atlanta, Ga.
Seven other family members attended as a show of support and stood facing the podium in the back of the conference.
“We are asking members of the apartment complex to recollect that day for anything suspicious,” Sminkey said. “We are just asking the public to go back a year to see if they saw anything suspicious.”
Sminkey was tight-lipped on details of the investigation, declining to answer specific questions about whom or how many were ruled out and forensics information.
Madonna stepped up revealing the department did receive tips after the murder and did eliminate some people.
“This incident left emptiness in the detective bureau,” Madonna said. “Markia was a young intelligent woman, what we all aspire to be.”
Police responded to the G-Building of the apartment complex 4:45 p.m. on March 30, 2016.
According to Chitwood, a co-worker and boyfriend or former boyfriend show up at the same time to check on her.
“She hadn’t been seen that day and never showed up for work,” Chitwood said.
The victim was found in the tub with the shower turned on to hot.
“She was scalded,” Chitwood said. “Apparently the water had been running all day. This was a brutal, sadistic killing,” he said, calling it a crime of passion and hatred.
Monique Benson, with her mother at her side, praised the efforts of detectives while reading a prepared statement at the press conference.
“Today marks the day of our beloved Markia’s death,” Benson said. “We want to thank the detectives for their unwavering and continuous efforts. Markia was young and vibrant and accomplished more in her whole life and to lose her in such a broken way changed our whole family dynamic. We will never be the same and they (the murderer) continue to go on with their life. Where is the justice in that? We’re asking if anyone has information.”
According to Monique, her sister Monica wanted to make a statement as well but could not attend due to her emotional state.
“Another day doesn’t go by that I don’t think of Markia,” Monique said reading from Monique’s comment. “We did a whole lot of things together and he gets to conduct his life. Any help, any information, reach out and let the detectives know.”
Benson had a message for the killer: “Do the right thing. Do the right thing. Come forward and express your side. This has had an effect on all of us and it’s a year later.
“This is never going to be over for us. This is our life.”
Madonna asked the public to contact the police at 610-734-7693.
“We can take an anonymous report,” Madonna said.