In the early morning hours of a December day in Philadelphia, a domestic dispute escalated into a fatal act of violence. Inside a home on the 300 block of Poplar Street in the Northern Liberties neighborhood, 55-year-old Margaret Lippi, a woman known to many as Margie, was shot and killed. The incident unfolded just before 1 a.m. on December 10, 2021. Authorities later described the deadly shooting as a domestic incident.
The suspect was identified as Margaret's 62-year-old husband.
According to police reports, he had a history of drug use and abuse. The tragedy was witnessed by Margaret's daughter, who told investigators that her mother was lying in a bedroom when her husband entered and shot her multiple times in the face. After the shooting, the witness managed to lock herself in a room with two children and call for help. This initiated a standoff, as initial responding officers could not get into the residence and had to call in a SWAT team.
SWAT officers were able to gain entry into the home where they made a grim discovery on the third floor; Margaret Lippi was found in a bedroom, having succumbed to her injuries. As they cleared the house, they found another woman and two children hiding in a bedroom closet and brought them to safety. The search for the shooter concluded in the basement, where authorities located the 62-year-old suspect hiding under a blanket. He was taken into custody without further incident.
Following his arrest, the legal process began. The suspect, Joseph Baker, eventually entered a non-negotiated plea on April 13, 2023, to charges of third-degree murder, endangering the welfare of a child, and possessing an instrument of crime. In exchange for his plea, prosecutors dropped the more severe charge of first-degree murder. He was sentenced for the crimes on June 28, 2023. Investigators later recovered a. 44 caliber revolver that contained both spent shell casings and live rounds.
