Man charged in fatal Old City pipe attack

A 49-year-old Philadelphia man has been charged with murder after allegedly beating a woman to death with a pipe Wednesday afternoon inside an Old City office building.

Samantha Maag, 31, of Gloucester Township, Camden County, was attacked at around 2:15 p.m. Wednesday on the eighth floor of the property, located on the 300 block of Chestnut Street, police said.

She suffered severe head injuries, investigators said, and was rushed to Jefferson University Hospital, where she died an hour later.

Officers arrested Jeffrey Stepien at the scene. He was holding two pipes, and witnesses identified him as the attacker, police said. Detectives also recovered surveillance video of the beating.

In addition to murder, Stepien was charged with being in possession of a weapon. He is being held without bail

Stepien is being represented by the Defender Association of Philadelphia, which did not respond to a request for comment Thursday.

Authorities have not spelled out a motive for the killing.

Stepien rented office space on the floor, run by Regus, and Maag has been described as a team leader for the property, according to multiple media reports.

Court records indicate that Stepien served time in prison a decade ago after pleading guilty to simple assault in Lackawanna County.