Police say a father-son argument ended with a fatal stabbing on a residential porch.
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. — A 911 report about a person with a weapon brought police to a North Philadelphia porch late April 4, where officers found 61-year-old Kevin Jenkins with fatal neck wounds, authorities said.
The response quickly became a murder case against Jenkins’ son. Police said Devin Jenkins, 28, was at the home on the 600 block of West Wingohocking Street when he and his father argued and the dispute turned violent. He was arrested at the scene, treated for a minor finger cut and later charged with murder and possession of an instrument of crime with intent. The case now rests on what investigators can prove about a brief but deadly family confrontation.
The emergency call came at about 11:34 p.m. Saturday, when officers were sent to the West Wingohocking Street home for what police described as reports of a person with a weapon. When they reached the property, Kevin Jenkins was outside on the porch. Police said he had been stabbed multiple times in the neck. The first public accounts do not describe a chase, a search for a suspect or a barricade situation. Instead, they place the accused son at the same address when officers arrived. “The investigation remains active and ongoing,” police said in their early summary, while releasing only limited details about the exchange that preceded the stabbing.
Emergency medical workers moved Kevin Jenkins from the porch to an area hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 12:11 a.m. Sunday. The short time between the call and the death gave investigators a tight window for the central events of the case. Police have not said whether officers or medics found a pulse, whether the victim was conscious at any point or whether he made any statement before being transported. They also have not released autopsy findings beyond the description of multiple neck wounds. The medical examiner’s work is expected to be important to the case because the number, depth and direction of wounds can shape how prosecutors present the alleged attack.
Devin Jenkins was taken into custody at the home, police said. He was then taken to a separate hospital because of a minor laceration to his left index finger. After treatment, he was processed by police. The public record does not explain how he was hurt or whether detectives believe the cut is tied to the weapon. Investigators have not publicly described any statements he made after the arrest. They also have not said whether he called 911, whether another person made the call or whether any neighbors saw or heard the dispute. Those missing details have left the official account focused on only the immediate scene, the relationship and the charges.
The charge of possession of an instrument of crime with intent signals that prosecutors believe a weapon was used for a criminal purpose. Public reports describe the case as a stabbing and say Kevin Jenkins suffered apparent stab wounds to the neck. One local report described the weapon as a knife, while the police details publicly quoted in broader reports did not provide a full evidence list. Authorities have not said where any weapon was found, whether it was recovered from the porch or inside the home, or whether it will undergo testing. In a homicide case, the weapon can connect the physical scene to injuries, blood evidence and the person accused of using it.
The case entered court in the days after the killing. Devin Jenkins appeared in Philadelphia County court for a preliminary arraignment on the Monday after his father died. Court records cited in public reports show he was held without bail at the Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility. A preliminary hearing had been scheduled for April 20. At that kind of hearing, prosecutors usually present enough evidence to show that a crime occurred and that the defendant should be held for further proceedings. Public reports reviewed after that date did not show a confirmed update on whether the hearing was held, delayed or resolved in another way.
Police have not released a motive. The department has said only that the father and son had been arguing before the stabbing. That limited explanation leaves open several factual questions for detectives, prosecutors and, eventually, a court. It is not publicly known what started the argument, how long it lasted, whether it included threats before the stabbing or whether anyone tried to separate the men. It also is not clear whether the violence began in the house or on the porch. The public nature of the porch scene may help investigators if nearby cameras captured movement before or after the call, but officials have not confirmed any video evidence.
The block’s role in the case is simple but central. Police identified the 600 block of West Wingohocking Street as both the address of the argument and the arrest location. The porch became the place where officers found the victim and where the investigation first took shape. Public reports did not identify other residents of the property or say who owned it. They also did not say whether the family had any prior police calls at the address. Without that context, the case remains defined by the single reported argument and its aftermath: a father dead, a son accused and a homicide file still being built.
As of the latest public accounts, Devin Jenkins faces murder and weapons charges and remains the only person named as a defendant. Kevin Jenkins’ cause of death has been described in police reports as multiple stab wounds to the neck, and the reason for the argument remains undisclosed.
Author note: Last updated April 29, 2026.