The hunt for a man police identified as the suspect in last week’s assault on an 81-year-old professor in his Anderson Hall office ended Thursday with the arrest of a man with several prior robbery convictions.
Darryl Moon, 45, of the 3000 block of North Sydenham Street was arrested Thursday morning on the 1500 block of West Allegheny Avenue, shortly after Philadelphia Police published his name and photo in connection with the case.
Moon, who is not affiliated with the university, has multiple prior convictions for robbery charges in Philadelphia dating back to 1989.
Moon has been charged on nine counts for the incident at Anderson Hall, including aggravated assault, robbery while inflicting serious injury, trespassing and reckless endangerment. His bail was set at $500,000, and his preliminary hearing is scheduled for Nov. 15.
Charlie Leone, acting executive director of Campus Safety Services, said police are still working to determine how the suspect gained access to the second-floor office in Anderson Hall, which is guarded by a security officer at the main entrance along Polett Walk.
Video surveillance footage captured the suspect leaving Anderson Hall from exit doors that are locked from the outside on the large patio connecting Anderson and adjacent Gladfelter Hall. Leone police are unsure how the suspect entered the building, with no camera footage from the main entrance to Anderson or several side entrances.
Leone said three additional officers have been posted at the building until security issues can be resolved with the addition of new cameras and door alarms.
The robbery occurred around 11:20 a.m. on Oct. 29 when police say a man walked into the office of an 81-year-old professor sitting at his desk using his computer. The victim was punched in the head before his attacker demanded he turn over his wallet, to which the victim complied, only to be struck again in the face, suffering from lacerations as well as swelling and bleeding of the brain.
The victim was taken to Temple University Hospital, where officials declined to comment on his condition Thursday, citing the wishes of the victim’s family.
Officers from Philadelphia Police Department’s Central Detective Division arrived at the university that afternoon to review surveillance footage, which was released publicly on its website Wednesday. Philadelphia Police issued Moon’s name and photograph on a wanted poster for the crime late that night.
In 2007, Moon pleaded guilty to robbery by force, theft, receiving stolen property, simple assault and reckless endangerment, all stemming from an arrest in September of that year. Moon was sentenced with three to six years imprisonment and a year’s probation.
Moon also has priors for possession of a controlled substance, simple assault and possession of an instrument of crime. In addition to his 2007 case, court records show Moon has been sentenced to imprisonment four times between 1989 and 2001.
Moon was arrested on Sept. 12, 2012 for retail theft. That case is still in court, with a summary trial scheduled for Dec. 11.
John Moritz can be reached at john.moritz@temple.edu or on Twitter @JCMoritzTU.
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