Keith Gibson: Murders, Crime Spree, Victims, and Convictions
Background and Earlier Homicide Conviction
Keith Gibson, born in 1982, is an American serial killer whose violent criminal history stretches back years before the series of murders that made him notorious in Delaware and Philadelphia. Before the 2021 killing spree, Gibson had already accumulated numerous criminal convictions and probation violations. His most important earlier conviction arose from the fatal shooting of Stanley “Savon” Jones in Delaware on July 6, 2008. Jones was found shot in the Edgemoor Gardens area near North Rodney Drive in Wilmington. Gibson was later convicted of manslaughter and a firearm offense in connection with the killing and received a lengthy prison sentence.
Gibson spent roughly 13 years incarcerated before eventually being released. He was released from prison again on December 20, 2020, under supervision and with restrictions on his movements. Within weeks, he was back in Philadelphia and became connected to a succession of shootings. After the February 2021 death of his mother, authorities also discovered that he had violated the conditions of his Delaware supervision. He was returned to Delaware, but on April 27, 2021, he was released again after the court credited time he had already served. Less than three weeks later, another person was dead.
The Philadelphia Murders Begin
On January 28, 2021, Philadelphia police were called to a store on the 3600 block of Germantown Avenue for a reported robbery. Inside the rear portion of the business, officers discovered Roy Caban and Erik Flores. Both men had been shot and were pronounced dead at the scene. Caban had suffered a gunshot wound to the chest, while Flores had been shot in the head. Investigators determined that the weapon used was consistent with a revolver. Years later, a Philadelphia jury convicted Gibson of first-degree murder for both deaths.
On February 8, 2021, another homicide brought investigators much closer to Gibson personally. His mother, Christine Gibson, was found in an office at the United Peers Community Center on the 4200 block of Ridge Avenue in Philadelphia. She had been shot in the head and was pronounced dead at the scene. Christine was 54 years old and worked in the mental-health and community-services field. Investigators learned that Keith Gibson had recently been staying with her. People close to Christine told investigators that she had expressed fear of her son and had said she did not feel safe living with him. Gibson was ultimately convicted of murdering her in 2026.
The Murder of Leslie Ruiz-Basilio
On May 15, 2021, 28-year-old Leslie Ruiz-Basilio was working at a Metro PCS store on Kirkwood Highway in Elsmere, Delaware. A masked gunman entered the store carrying a revolver. During the robbery, Ruiz-Basilio was taken toward the back of the business and shot in the head at close range. More than 20 cellular phones were stolen, and the killer also took Ruiz-Basilio’s Cadillac Escalade and fled.
The investigation produced several pieces of evidence that prosecutors later used against Gibson. A distinctive bicycle was found near the store, and records showed that a bicycle with the same serial number had been purchased by a customer using Gibson’s name. Ruiz-Basilio’s stolen vehicle was later recovered in Philadelphia within walking distance of a residence associated with Gibson. A person who knew Gibson also identified him as the man depicted in surveillance recordings. Firearms evidence recovered from the shooting later became important as investigators compared ammunition from several crimes. Gibson was convicted in Delaware of murdering Ruiz-Basilio.
The Murder of Christine Lugo
Early on June 5, 2021, Christine Lugo arrived to open the Dunkin’ restaurant at 532 West Lehigh Avenue in Philadelphia. Lugo, a 40-year-old manager and mother, was confronted shortly before the store opened for business. Gibson forced her into the building at gunpoint and demanded access to the store’s money. When Lugo could not provide the combination to the safe, she surrendered money from other locations inside the store. Approximately $300 was taken.
After obtaining the cash, Gibson shot Lugo in the head and fled. She was found fatally wounded when police arrived. The killing became especially important to the later multistate investigation because firearms evidence tied it to the weapon authorities recovered after Gibson’s arrest. In June 2026, a Philadelphia jury convicted Gibson of first-degree murder for Lugo’s death.
The Murder of Ronald Wright
Later on June 5, 2021, Gibson committed another fatal robbery in Wilmington, Delaware. Ronald Wright, 42, was at a friend’s residence where he was known to keep drugs in a black sling bag. At approximately 11:45 p.m., a man was seen in the area shortly before a gunshot was heard. When police and emergency personnel arrived, Wright was found with severe trauma to his head and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Investigators recovered fragments of a .38-caliber-class frangible bullet, a type designed to break apart when it strikes a target. When Gibson was later arrested, police found him with a black sling bag that Wright’s sister and another witness identified as resembling the bag Wright routinely carried. Prosecutors argued that Gibson had taken Wright’s bag and drugs during the robbery. A Delaware jury ultimately convicted Gibson of Wright’s murder.
Nonfatal Shootings, Robberies, and Gibson's Arrest
The violence continued after Wright’s death. On June 6, 2021, Gibson robbed the Good Guys deli near Ninth and West Streets in Wilmington. Employee Belal Almansoori was shot repeatedly, including in the head and body. Despite his severe injuries, Almansoori survived and spent months receiving hospital treatment and recovering. Firearms examiners found .38-caliber frangible ammunition evidence similar to that recovered in the Wright investigation. Almansoori later testified at Gibson’s Delaware trial, and Gibson was convicted of attempted first-degree murder for the attack.
During the early morning of June 8, Gibson attacked another person, Secret Harris. Court records state that Gibson took Harris’s phone, struck her with a firearm, and fired toward her vehicle as she escaped. Later that morning, Gibson and another man robbed a Rite Aid at Fourth and Adams Streets in Wilmington. During the robbery, cashier Sandra Collins was threatened with a revolver and ordered to hand over money. The cash included a concealed GPS tracking device.
Police followed the tracking signal to the 800 block of West Fifth Street. An officer pursued Gibson and found him hiding behind a ramp. Investigators discovered a .357 revolver nearby that fit the holster Gibson was wearing. The gun contained unusual ammunition, including a frangible round and a nylon-coated round. Gibson was also carrying additional ammunition and gloves. Prosecutors later used the firearm and ammunition evidence to connect the separate shootings. His arrest on June 8, 2021, brought the immediate crime spree to an end.
Victims and Verified Dates of Death
- Stanley “Savon” Jones — July 6, 2008 — Wilmington, Delaware: Jones was fatally shot in the Edgemoor Gardens area near North Rodney Drive. Gibson's later manslaughter and firearm convictions arose from this homicide. This death occurred years before the 2021 serial killing spree.
- Roy Caban — January 28, 2021 — 3600 block of Germantown Avenue, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Caban was discovered shot in the rear of a store and was pronounced dead at the scene. Gibson was later convicted of first-degree murder for his death.
- Erik Flores — January 28, 2021 — 3600 block of Germantown Avenue, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Flores was found at the same store as Caban with a gunshot wound to the head and was pronounced dead at the scene. Gibson was convicted of first-degree murder.
- Christine Gibson — February 8, 2021 — United Peers Community Center, 4200 block of Ridge Avenue, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Gibson's 54-year-old mother was found shot in the head inside an office at her workplace. She was pronounced dead at the scene. Gibson was convicted of murdering her.
- Leslie Ruiz-Basilio — May 15, 2021 — Metro PCS on Kirkwood Highway, Elsmere, Delaware: The 28-year-old store employee was shot in the head at close range during a robbery. Cell phones and her Cadillac Escalade were stolen. Gibson was convicted of her murder.
- Christine Lugo — June 5, 2021 — Dunkin’, 532 West Lehigh Avenue, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: The 40-year-old store manager was robbed while opening the business and then fatally shot in the head. Gibson was convicted of first-degree murder for the killing.
- Ronald Wright — June 5, 2021 — Wilmington, Delaware: The 42-year-old was shot during a late-night robbery and pronounced dead at the scene. His sling bag and drugs were taken. Gibson was convicted of his murder.
Delaware Trial and Sentence
Gibson went on trial in Delaware in 2023 for the killings of Leslie Ruiz-Basilio and Ronald Wright as well as the attempted murder of Belal Almansoori and several robberies and weapons offenses. The prosecution relied on a combination of eyewitness testimony, identification evidence, stolen property, firearms evidence, ammunition characteristics, clothing and other physical evidence. A jury convicted him in November 2023.
Although Gibson was found guilty of four counts of first-degree murder in the Delaware case, those four counts concerned two deceased victims: Ruiz-Basilio and Wright. Delaware prosecutors had charged alternative forms of first-degree murder for each killing. He was also convicted of attempted first-degree murder, robbery, firearms offenses, theft of a motor vehicle, conspiracy and other crimes. In March 2024, he was sentenced to seven life terms plus hundreds of additional years in prison. The Delaware Supreme Court later upheld his convictions in May 2025.
Philadelphia Convictions and Final Sentencing
After the Delaware prosecution, Gibson still faced the four Philadelphia murder cases. In June 2026, a Philadelphia jury found him guilty of all four murders: Roy Caban, Erik Flores, Christine Gibson and Christine Lugo. He was convicted of four counts of first-degree murder along with robbery, illegal firearms possession and possession of instruments of crime.
The Philadelphia court sentenced Gibson to four consecutive life sentences plus an additional 76 years. Combined with his Delaware punishment, Gibson received a total of 11 life sentences. The convictions formally established his responsibility for six murders committed between January and June 2021, in addition to the earlier manslaughter conviction arising from Stanley Jones’s 2008 death. The pattern of shootings, robberies and repeated attacks across Philadelphia and northern Delaware made Gibson one of the region’s most notorious serial murderers of the period.
