Chester man guilty in fatal stabbing over drug turf
Victim suffered 2 cuts to femoral artery, bled out
A Chester man was found guilty of third-degree murder and possessing an instrument of crime for the stabbing death of 36-yearold Kevin Canty in July 2021.
Sheriff A. Potter, 27, will be sentenced by Common Pleas Court Judge Anthony Scanlon on April 17. He faces up to 40 years on the murder charge.
The stabbing is believed to have taken place shortly before 5 p.m. July 8 near Edgmont Avenue and 21st Street, though Canty was found in his car about five blocks away after apparently fleeing the crime scene.
Jurors heard this week from Assistant Philadelphia Medical Examiner Dr. Khalil Wardak, who said Canty had suffered two deep stab wounds to his left thigh, both of which opened his femoral artery.
Wardak said the lacerations would have resulted in the loss of more than 2 liters of blood within about five minutes, leading to his death.
Another witness testified that he was walking to a deli that day when a man in a white pickup truck called him over and asked if he knew where to get crack cocaine. The witness said he went into the deli and asked some people there, who directed him to Canty.
The crack sale
The witness said he knew Canty from previous interactions and approached the victim as he sat in his Dodge Charger parked nearby. Canty at first was hesitant, but eventually agreed to sell the man in the truck some crack, the witness said.
The witness said he went with Canty to the truck and the drug deal was transacted. The witness said he then walked away.
“(Canty) seemed alright so I turned back and kept (moving) forward,” he said. “I got near in front of the store or whatever and then I see him walking back to his car, so I thought he was fine.”
On the stand, the witness told Deputy District Attorney Matt Krouse that he did not remember anyone else being there, but Krouse played an audio statement he had given detectives the night of Canty’s death.
In that statement, the witness claimed a young kid with light skin and dreadlocks approached with “strong” energy, ranting and raving, as he and Canty were by the truck.
The witness said at that point he tried to get Canty to walk away. Canty did initially, but the witness said he spun back around and approached the kid, bringing them face to face in a confrontation similar to pro wrestlers. The witness said he continued to leave, but then saw Canty running for his Charger.
The witness claimed that he had been intoxicated while giving that account, however. He added that detectives had coached him on what to say and directed him to blindly pick a suspect from a photo array.
Delaware County Criminal Investigation Division Detective Daniel McFarland denied supplying any information to the witness or directing him to identify anyone as the killer. He told defense attorney Deon Browning the witness did not pick anyone out of a photo array and that he did not appear intoxicated.
McFarland also identified Canty, the witness and Potter from surveillance video footage taken at 21st Street and Edgmont Avenue. Some of the video was out of focus and partially obscured, but McFarland said it was possible to make out Potter approach Canty and then the victim “jolting” a couple of times before running off.
The video showed Canty jogging back to his vehicle, his left white sneaker now stained red with blood, before driving away south on Edgmont Avenue.
On another’s turf
The driver of the truck also testified that he was in the area to buy crack from a man he knew as “R” that afternoon, who he identified in court as Potter. The driver said Potter was running late and he decided to buy from someone else.
The driver told Assistant District Attorney Amy Cappelli that Canty said something to the effect that he did not want to step on anyone else’s toes, but nonetheless agreed to make a sale. He had already placed the crack in the driver’s hand when Potter showed up and told Canty the sale was his, according to the driver.
Canty took the crack back and Potter then completed the sale on his own, the driver said. He said he then started his truck as the two men appeared to go their separate ways. McFarland said a data report from Potter’s phone confirmed the truck driver had called him several times between 4 p.m. and 4:40 p.m. that day.
Chester Police Officer Michael Smallers said he was dispatched to Edgmont Avenue and 16th Street shortly before 5 p.m. for a report of a single vehicle accident. He said he found Canty in the driver’s seat of his vehicle slumped over into the passenger side with a large amount of blood.
The vehicle had crossed the double-yellow lines of Edgmont Avenue and crashed into a tree headon, crumpling the front of the Charger, Smallers said. Canty was unresponsive and was pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics.
Smallers said he was alerted of a crime scene at Edgmont and 21st Street, and also identified Canty from video surveillance in that area.
Potter did not testify. The jury deliberated for approximately two and a half hours before delivering its verdict late Thursday.