In the winter of 2018, a quiet street in Northeast Philadelphia became the scene of a heart-wrenching tragedy that claimed the lives of two women, a mother and her daughter. On the evening of January 29th, police responded to a call on the 1200 block of Greeby Street in the Oxford Circle neighborhood. Upon their arrival, they were met at the door by a 39-year-old man who allowed them inside the rowhouse.
What the officers discovered within the home was a grim and violent scene that would soon unfold into a double homicide investigation.
Inside the residence, authorities found 66-year-old Adeline Hill, a female who used a wheelchair, on the ground floor. She had sustained a fatal gunshot wound to the head. As they continued to search the home, they found her 42-year-old daughter, Renee Cosom, on the second floor, also deceased from a gunshot wound to the face. The lack of forced entry into the home immediately suggested to investigators that the perpetrator was known to the victims. The man who had let them into the house, who was identified as Cosom's boyfriend and also a resident of the home, was taken into custody for questioning.
The investigation quickly focused on the daughter's boyfriend, Michael Drennon. While the motive for the killings was not immediately clear, the evidence pointed towards his involvement. A weapon was recovered from the scene, and with no signs of a break-in, authorities grew more confident that he was responsible for the brutal slayings. The initial person of interest soon became the prime suspect in the case.
Ultimately, Michael Drennon was charged with the murders of both Adeline Hill and Renee Cosom. His case proceeded through the legal system, culminating in a conviction on two counts of first-degree murder. For his role in the execution-style killings of his girlfriend and her mother, Drennon received a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole, bringing a measure of justice to the tragic and untimely deaths of Adeline Hill and her daughter.
