A Philadelphia man was sentenced to 6½-13 years in a state prison Thursday for a vicious beating and stabbing attack on a woman in April 2025 in Upper Darby.
Marcus Easley, 34, of the 600 block of Lindley Avenue entered guilty pleas to felony charges of aggravated assault and strangulation before Common Pleas Court Judge Dominic Pileggi in February. He also pleaded to flight to avoid apprehension and receiving stolen property, both third-degree felonies.
‘He was trying to kill me’
The assault took place in the early morning of April 16 in Upper Darby. According to an affidavit of probable cause written by Detective Matthew Rugh:
Police were dispatched to the 300 block of Cheswold Road in Drexel Hill section at 12:27 a.m. for a report of a woman covered in blood.
“He was trying to kill me,” the woman repeatedly told Officer Michael Crispin.
The victim’s face and eyes were swollen, and she had a visible laceration on her right hand.
Crispin determined she lived on the stretch of road where she had been found and went to the house number she provided. He found a large amount of blood inside, consistent with an assault.
The victim was transported to Lankenau Hospital for treatment.
Officer John Donohue learned that the victim was stabbed and choked several times, to the point of losing consciousness.
The victim identified her boyfriend, Easley, as her assailant.
The woman’s injuries included a deep laceration to her right hand as well as bruising on both eyes and her right ear.
Fleeing from police
Easley was arrested driving a stolen car on May 26.
According to the affidavit of probable cause in that case, written by Chester Township Police Patrolman Michael Strofe:
Strofe initiated a traffic stop at 12:48 a.m. The vehicle pulled over in the area of West Ninth and Wilson streets, and Strofe made contact with the driver, identified as Easley by his driver’s license.
Easley said he was en route to a significant other’s residence on West 11th Street.
Strofe learned Easley was the subject of an arrest warrant for the assault, as well as a failure to appear for a theft charge in Goshen Township, probation violations in Delaware County and Philadelphia and a license suspension notification from PennDOT.
Strofe told the driver to exit the vehicle. Instead Easley put the vehicle in drive and fled at high speed.
Easley abandoned the vehicle at 11th and Grace streets and fled on foot.
Easley was eventually found about 20 minutes later in the area of West 12th Street and Pine Lane, where he was taken into custody.
‘Devil with a smile’
Electronic court records indicate Easley pleaded guilty to the Chester County theft charge in August and was sentenced to one to 12 months with 31 days credit. That case would be closed after he pays $200 restitution to the victim.
As part of the Delaware County sentence negotiated by Assistant District Attorney Beth Ramos and defense counsel Deon Browning, Easley will have to provide a DNA sample to state police and undergo substance abuse and psychological evaluations.
Ramos read a letter from the assault victim in court Thursday, in which she described waking up confused in a pool of her own blood that night and blindly seeking help from a neighbor because her eyes were swollen shut.
“The pain, disrespect, betrayal and torture — Marcus, I have no clue what to say to the man who almost succeeded in killing me, the man who said he would never hurt me, and the man who almost took me away from my four kids,” she wrote. “…You tortured me, stabbed me multiple times, beat me like I was your enemy. You walked out on me. You allowed your anger to change your life. You’ve changed mine forever and that’s something I will have to deal with.”
The victim said she has lost any sense of trust and told Easley, who she described as “the devil with a smile on his face,” to stay far away from her.
The judge entered a stay-away order as part of the sentence and required Easley to attend anger management and domestic violence classes.
Easley was resentenced to concurrent jail time for probation violations on a pair of prior cases involving theft and unauthorized use of a motor vehicle.
Easley was given credit for time served back to May 25, 2025, but is not eligible for early release. He will also have to serve one year of re-entry supervision if he maxes out his sentence.
Pileggi recommended Easley be sent to SCI Chester, per Browning’s request.