Sled suspects charged in two other crimes

Two of the suspects in the Halloween night stabbing death of University biochemist Vladimir Sled allegedly robbed a Philadelphia Daily News driver earlier in the day, according to Assistant District Attorney Matthew Perks. Yvette Stewart -- the alleged getaway driver in the Sled murder -- and Eugene "Sultan" Harrison allegedly mugged the driver at 52nd Street and Girard Avenue at approximately 9:40 a.m., Perks said. And sources close to the investigation said a few days before the murder, Harrison and Stewart allegedly assaulted a man approximately two blocks from the spot where Sled was killed near 43rd Street and Larchwood Avenue. Assistant District Attorney Dick Carroll, who is prosecuting the Sled case, said these incidents could strengthen the case against Harrison and Stewart. The third suspect, Bridget Black -- who allegedly stabbed Sled five times -- waived her preliminary hearing and pleaded not guilty at a recent formal arraignment. Additionally, Perks and Carroll said Stewart attempted to alter her appearance between her January 7 arrest and a recent police lineup in the Daily News robbery case. "She had sort of bleached-blond hair in a sort of thatched-roof configuration" the morning of the robbery, Carroll said. "At the lineup, her hair was completely black -- it was in a completely different style." Carroll and Perks said they could not confirm or deny whether the Daily News driver positively identified Stewart, but Carroll said Stewart's sister was present at the lineup and bore a strong resemblance to Yvette Stewart's appearance at the time of the robbery -- implying that the two may have attempted to swap identities. "[Stewart's] sister was there with her hair dyed blond and arranged exactly the way [Yvette Stewart] had hers on the day of the robbery," Carroll said. Philadelphia Police arrested Harrison December 12 for the Daily News robbery, Perks said. He was reluctant to give details of the strong-arm robbery because no preliminary hearings have been held. The hearing -- at which the District Attorney's office will attempt to show that Harrison and Stewart probably committed the crime -- is scheduled for March 13. Carroll said the two additional cases increase the chances of obtaining convictions for all three suspects in Sled's murder. "Things are starting to add up, if you know what I mean," Carroll said. "They're dead." Carroll explained that he did not have details on the assault, but a source close to the case confirmed that a man and woman assaulted another man October 27 near 45th Street and Larchwood Avenue. Carroll said the suspects have not yet been identified, but that their car was identified as belonging to Harrison and Stewart. Harrison's court-appointed attorney withdrew his request for a police lineup at a status hearing Tuesday, Carroll added. Tariq El-Shabazz requested and was granted a lineup for Harrison after Sled's fiancee, Cecelia Hagerhall, misidentified El-Shabazz as the perpetrator in a January preliminary hearing. But El-Shabazz failed to show up for the lineup scheduled for last Wednesday, forcing its cancellation. A judge rescheduled Harrison's preliminary hearing for next Wednesday at 9 a.m. in room 903 of the Criminal Justice Center at 13th and Filbert streets. El-Shabazz and Lee Mandell, Stewart's court-appointed attorney, did not return telephone calls to their respective offices yesterday. Stewart pleaded not guilty to Sled's murder earlier this month at a formal arraignment.

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.