A 22-year-old woman visiting friends in the college town of Columbia, South Carolina, was murdered by a “completely random” stranger during a multiday crime spree that saw the suspect “wreaking havoc across two counties and six or seven police jurisdictions,” according to local authorities.
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 to announce Dickey’s arrest and the alleged incident.
According to Columbia Police Chief William Holbrook and other outlets, Dickey was breaking into two homes early Saturday morning in the 2700 block of Cypress Street when he ran into Federico. Dickey is accused of stealing wallets and credit cards from both of their homes, which are adjacent. Federico returned to the house where she was staying with several of her friends 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,” said the fire chief.
Officers in Columbia, home to the University of South Carolina, responded to the home around 11:14 a.m. Saturday after Federico’s body was discovered inside by her friends. Dickey is accused of stealing a car from the residence and using it to commit additional 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 informed me. “He uses stolen credit and debit cards to shop at several Lexington County stores. He eventually drives to Saluda County and tries to make more 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, police say.
“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 Koon told the press.
When asked if Dickey knew Federico or had seen her before, Holbrook said, “We believe this is completely random, that he happened to be in that particular location due to a series of other events. We do not believe there was any interaction with any of the victims, including Logan, prior to his arrival.
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 fraud. He was denied bond in Lexington County on Monday after being charged with first-degree burglary and second-degree arson.