Deacon murdered

Ran L.I. home for addicts; police hunt susp

A 70-YEAR-OLD DEACON who ran a Long Island halfway house for homeless drug addicts was knifed to death by one of his residents, police said Saturday.

Patrick Logsdon was repeatedly stabbed inside the Anthony House in Roosevelt about 10:15 p.m. Friday by a resident who ran off and is still on the loose, authorities said.

Logsdon, who also lived at the Anthony House, died at the scene. The deacon’s friends were stunned to hear that he had been killed.

“He was a man with no ego. He served a segment of society most people don’t think about,” said Jim Pfeiffer, 61, who helped manage the Anthony House for four years and still showed up a few times a year to help out. “I was shocked and I am stunned right now. I’m so glad I knew him for so many years.”

Cops are looking for 47-yearold Andre Payton, (photo) who they believe killed Logsdon.

“He is considered armed and dangerous,” Nassau County Police Department Acting Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder said during a Saturday afternoon press conference.

Three other people were inside the home during the attack, cops said.

Logsdon ran programs for the residents at Anthony House, many of whom are homeless, have criminal records and are dealing with drug addiction, according to the home’s website.

The Anthony House is run by the Society of St. Vincent dePaul, which is part of the Diocese of Rockville Centre. The diocese did not return an email requesting comment Saturday.

Pfeiffer said Logsdon split his time between caring for the residents of the Anthony House and encouraging more of the homeless to accept his services.

He would also preach to convicts in jail, provide counseling to local residents and provide food to undocumented workers in Freeport, friends said.

“(The world) seems to constantly pull us into greater darkness, but so many people have come together over the years to help keep the light burning at this small ministry in Roosevelt,” Logsdon once told the Garden City News.

Logsdon wasn’t above tricking the needy into accepting his help, Pfeiffer remembered.

Sometimes, after convincing an area homeless man to come to the Anthony House, Logsdon would hide their shoes so they wouldn’t run away and give his programs a chance.

“He’d keep them for the weekend and once they were stronger he’d let them go out on their own,” he said. "He tended to these men, got them to independent living, showed them how to look for work, find a a job, help themselves up. They wouldn't have to pay a penny to be here."

Anthony House could accommodates up to nine residents at a time, but only Logsdon, Payton and another man were living there when the deacon was killed, investigators said.

Police describe Payton as sixfeet tall and 200 pounds with a dark complexion.

Anyone with information is asked to call Nassau County Crime Stoppers at (800) 244-TIPS.