Right inset: Alexander Dickey (Lexington County Detention Center). Right inset: Logan Federico (Columbia Police Department). Background: The home in Columbia, S.C., where cops say Logan Federico was murdered (WLTX/YouTube).
A 22-year-old woman visiting friends in the college town of Columbia, South Carolina, was murdered by a “completely random” stranger on a multiday crime rampage, which saw the suspect “wreaking havoc across two counties and six or seven police jurisdictions,” according to local officials.
Alexander Dickey, 30, is accused of killing Logan Federico at a rental property where she was staying with friends, according to the Columbia Police Department and Lexington County Sheriff’s Office, which held a joint press conference Monday announcing Dickey’s arrest and what allegedly happened.
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Columbia Police Chief William Holbrook told local CBS affiliate WLTX and other outlets that Dickey was breaking into two homes early Saturday morning in the 2700 block of Cypress Street when he crossed paths with Federico. The residences are side by side, and Dickey was allegedly stealing items such as wallets and credit cards from both of them. Federico had returned to the home where she was staying with several of her friends at around 3 a.m., according to Holbrook.
“While in this residence, we believe that he [Dickey] enters a room where Miss Logan is located and fires a fatal shot,” the chief said.
Officers in Columbia, which is home to the University of South Carolina, responded to the home at around 11:14 a.m. Saturday after Federico’s body was found inside by her friends. Dickey is accused of stealing a car from the residence and taking it to commit more crimes.
“The suspect drives away in the stolen vehicle and heads towards West Columbia and goes on what can best be described as a shopping spree,” Holbrook said. “He uses stolen credit and debit cards, to go to multiple stores in Lexington County. He ultimately drives to Saluda County and attempts to make additional fraudulent purchases.”
Dickey even went so far as to “call for a tow service to move his stolen vehicle” from Saluda to a property in Gaston County, according to police.
“Certainly our hearts go out to the family and the friends in this senseless case where a career criminal just went on a multiday crime spree, wreaking havoc across two counties and six or seven police jurisdictions,” Sheriff Bryan Koon told reporters.
Asked whether Dickey possibly knew Federico or had seen her before, Holbrook said: “We feel like this is completely random, that he happened to be in that particular place because of a series of other events. We don’t feel like there was any interaction with any of the victims to include Logan prior to him arriving.”
Dickey is charged in Richland County with murder, multiple counts of burglary, possession of a weapon during a violent crime, grand larceny, and financial transaction card theft. He’s facing charges in Lexington County for first-degree burglary and second-degree arson, and he was denied bond on Monday.
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