In late January 2025, the discovery of a woman's body in a trash can in a West Philadelphia park began a grim investigation. On the morning of January 30th, Philadelphia Police responded to a call on the 700 block of North 47th Street, where they found the remains of 54-year-old Deborah Leatherberry. Medics pronounced her dead at the scene. The cause of death was later determined to be a gunshot wound to the head.
The investigation into the death of Ms.
Leatherberry, a resident of Southwest Philadelphia, quickly moved forward. Within weeks, authorities identified a suspect in the case. On February 26, 2025, SEPTA Transit Police apprehended 61-year-old Ricardo Ponds in Center City at 15th and Market streets.
Following his arrest, Ricardo Ponds was charged with the murder of Deborah Leatherberry. In addition to the murder charge, he faced several other offenses, including firearm violations, conspiracy, abuse of a corpse, and evidence tampering. Ponds was held without bail. While a motive for the killing was not immediately released, the case against him was set to proceed with a preliminary hearing scheduled for March 17, 2025.
