Driver in road-rage
slaying takes plea deal

By Lauren Fritsky
Times Staff Writer

John Anderson didn’t want to live in Philadelphia.
The 43-year-old North Carolina native and former schoolteacher got a place in Port Richmond to stay close to his two kids, who lived with his ex-wife, family members said.
"That’s the only reason he stayed around here was for them," said his older brother, Edward Anderson.
The younger Anderson’s struggle to maintain a happy life in the city ended tragically Jan. 31, 2006, when he was stabbed to death after an apparent road-rage incident in Wissinoming.
Last week, the man who killed him, Oxford Circle resident Enos L. Otto Jr., 42, was sentenced to five to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to voluntary manslaughter in Common Pleas Court.
The Feb. 27 hearing was originally scheduled as a waiver trial, meaning that the case was to be heard by just a judge, not a jury. But then Otto agreed to a plea arrangement and was sentenced by Judge Carolyn Temin without testimony being heard.
Defense attorney William J. Brennan had argued at a February 2006 preliminary trial that his client, a married father of two teenage children who worked for the United Parcel Service, had acted in self-defense.
The incident that allegedly led to Anderson’s death had begun shortly before 9:30 p.m., when he and Otto were involved in a minor fender-bender near Frankford and Cheltenham avenues.
Police said Anderson fled the scene after rear-ending another car that smacked into Otto’s Ford Taurus. The two drivers followed him.
Police believe Anderson stopped his car on the 5900 block of Charles St. and ran into Wissinoming Park on foot, with Otto following. Otto then used a hunting-style knife to slash Anderson’s throat and stab him multiple times in the back and neck, police said. Anderson died at 10:25 that night at Frankford Hospital-Torresdale.
Otto turned himself in to police two days later after confiding in a high-ranking official within the department whom he had known as a child.
The case’s outcome saddened Anderson’s family and loved ones. They expressed regret over not hearing the tape of Otto’s calls to 911 the night of the incident. The tape, played at the preliminary hearing, had recorded Otto threatening to kill Anderson.
Edward Anderson said that Otto "maliciously and cowardly killed" his brother and that his sentence was "not enough."
"He has left behind two precious children. They will never have a father to help them through life or do anything with them," Anderson said.
The victim’s father, William Tulloh Anderson, had told the Times earlier that he’d forgiven Otto for killing his son and did not believe he should be sentenced to life imprisonment or death.
But during his victim impact statement, he told the judge that he was angered by Otto’s apparent lack of remorse for the crime.
"I have yet to hear Mr. Otto say ‘sorry’ for anything he did. I have prayed for him every night since the murder. I have prayed for his family every night . . . (but) I can’t believe a man can get off this light for killing a man who he had no right to go after . . ." Anderson said.
Brennan argued that his client, who had no prior criminal record before Anderson’s murder, was remorseful for Anderson’s death.
"He mistakenly believed that his life and safety were in peril," Brennan said. "He will not be back before the justice system."
Upon being sentenced, Otto said he was "truly sorry" for Anderson’s death. The judge agreed to a request by Assistant District Attorney Michael Barry that Otto should undergo anger management classes while in prison.
Though Otto could have received a longer sentence had he been found guilty of premeditated murder, his family expressed sadness.
"Two families were destroyed," his wife Dolores said before hugging Anderson’s father. ••
Reporter Lauren Fritsky can be reached at 215-354-3038 or lfritsky@phillynews.com