Woman to stand trial for
allegedly helping to
hide suspect in cop killing

A female companion of accused cop killer Eric Floyd was ordered last week to stand trial for knowingly helping the wanted gunman avoid capture in the days after the fatal shooting of Philadelphia police Sgt. Steven Liczbinski.
During a July 16 preliminary hearing for Tonya Stephens, 37, of North Philadelphia, prosecutor Mark Gilson introduced into evidence Stephens’ alleged statement to detectives in which she claimed she met up with Floyd shortly after the May 3 Liczbinski shooting.
In the statement, the woman said she stayed with Floyd in a boarded-up Southwest Philadelphia rowhouse until his May 7 capture.
At the conclusion of the hearing, Municipal Court Judge Teresa Carr Deni ordered Stephens to trial on a charge of hindering prosecution and related offenses. Stephens has a long criminal history Involving drugs and prostitution.
For her court appearance, the defendant wore a black gown and headdress commonly associated with the Muslim faith. Floyd allegedly wore similar garb as a disguise while robbing a bank inside of a Port Richmond supermarket shortly before the Liczbinski shooting.
Floyd allegedly had two co-conspirators in the robbery. As the three fled the store in a sport utility vehicle, Liczbinski, a 24th district patrol supervisor, took up the chase.
One of the robbers, Howard Cain, 34, shot and killed Liczbinski with a high-powered automatic rifle, authorities say. Other officers shot Cain to death when he allegedly pulled the same weapon on them.
Police caught the third alleged robber, Levon T. Warner, 39, within minutes, but Floyd slipped away and met up with Stephens, according to the woman’s police statement.
That night, they smoked crack and played cards at a house in North Philadelphia. The following day, a friend, Issac Albright, allegedly drove them to the Southwest Philadelphia hideout. Albright awaits a Sept. 16 preliminary hearing on a hindering apprehension charge. ••