A man allegedly stalked, tortured and killed an upstate New York physician assistant last week before he was busted while fleeing back home to Virginia on Friday, authorities said.
Philip Rabadi, 35, who worked at St. Peter’s Hospital in Albany, was found slain inside the garage of his nearby New Scotland home on Wednesday after he failed to show up to work, according to Albany County Sheriff’s Office.
Rabadi’s wife — who is also a PA and worked alongside her husband on overlapping shifts — made the 911 call that led to the gruesome discovery, officials said.
Deputies arrived at the couple’s home to find Rabadi “deceased on the garage floor, bound and with multiple stab wounds and mutilation to his body,” a press release obtained by The Post said.
Two days after the horrific murder, authorities in Tennessee arrested Rabadi’s accused killer, identified as Jacob Klein, 40, the sheriff’s office said.
Klein is a fellow physician assistant who was a “past acquaintance” of Rabadi’s wife, and the widow was “unaware” that the suspect had allegedly been stalking the couple, Sheriff Craig Apple said at a Saturday news conference posted by WNYT.
“We’re glad that within 48 hours, these investigators worked tirelessly around the clock … were able to get a warrant and put this person in custody,” Apple said. “And again, try to get the family — his family and the wife — some closure at the same time.”
Rabadi, an alumni of Albany Medical College and SUNY Albany, was devoted to his family and friends, according to his obituary.
“Philip was kind, endlessly charismatic, funny, intelligent, patient, and an immediate friend to all. He had a breathtaking smile and the most contagious laugh. To have known him was a genuine gift,” it read.
Patient Maurgerite Marsh told the local outlet that Rabadi was a well-liked doctor that was very responsive and popular.
“If I called late at night with a problem, he would call right back. Within a few minutes, an answering service contacted him, he would always return your call, no matter how late it was,” Marsh reportedly said.
“Everybody liked him. His waiting room was always full when you went to see him. I remember talking to one woman who was in the waiting room one day, and came out and said, ‘Oh no, I want to see Dr. Robadi.”
Klein was charged with second-degree murder and was facing extradition to Albany County where he was expected to face additional charges, officials said.