Photo: Magin & Keegan Funeral Home; Albany County Sheriff’s Office
The man suspected of killing a New York physician assistant may have been romantically involved with the victim’s wife in the past, per reports.
At a press conference Saturday, Sheriff Craig Apple said Rabadi was stabbed to death.
TheTimes-Unionreported Rabadi’s wife, Elana Radin, 29, and Klein had previously dated, however Rabadi did not know Klein.
All three were physician assistants, though investigators noted that they had no record of Klein currently practicing.
According to the outlet, the suspect drove from his home state of Virginia to New York. Once in New Scotland — about 9 miles outside of Albany — he reportedly rented a car and engaged in three days of stalking the couple at their home and at St. Peter’s Hospital, where they both worked.
That stalking came to an end when last Wednesday, Klein reportedly waited for Radin to leave for her shift at the hospital. Neighbors' home security cameras captured Klein approaching the couple’s home shortly after, according to authorities.
Rabadi appeared to open his front door to Klein at around 7:30 a.m. At that time, a source told theTimes-Unionthat the victim seemed to react “as if a weapon was brandished” and Klein allegedly followed the victim into the home.
After he failed to show up for work that morning, Rabadi’s wife reportedly called 911. She arrived at the home with her father-in-law, about the same time deputies showed up, authorities said.
Upon investigation, law enforcement and the family found the victim “deceased on the garage floor, bound and with multiple stab wounds and mutilation to his body,” Apple told reporters.
Although he revealed Radin and Klein were “past acquaintances” and that the suspect had “ties” to the Albany area, he declined to go into detail about the extent of their relationship and the motive behind the alleged murder. At the same time, the sheriff said they had a “very good chronological breakdown” of events leading up to the slaying of Rabadi.
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In a social media post shared Sunday, Shaw Rabadi, the victim’s father, announced his family was mourning the loss of their “beloved son.”
“It is with my greatest sorrow and unfathomable grief on this Easter Sunday we share our mourning the loss of my beloved son Philip Rabadi!” he wrote. “A young loving and wonderful human being and great role model for his family and a true friend to all those he loved and all those who loved and admired him!”
Rabadi’s obituary described him as “endlessly charismatic, funny, intelligent, patient, and an immediate friend to all. His smile was breathtaking and his laugh was infectious. Philip was simply a magnetic person. To have known him was a genuine gift in this lifetime.”
Police arrested Klein on Friday as he crossed back into Virginia through Tennessee. A handgun was found in his vehicle at the time of arrest, according to authorities.
Klein — who reportedly has no prior criminal history and is also a military veteran — is currently being held without bond on a federal warrant charging him with unlawful flight from prosecution at a Virginia jail, per theTimes-Union. He also faces one charge of second-degree murder, although authorities anticipate more charges to be handed down. He is expected to be extradited back to Albany this week.
source: people.com
