Overview
- Police say a fight outside an apartment at 1201 N. Alvernon Way on July 24 left 61-year-old Susan Gehrke and an unidentified man seriously injured after an allegedly unprovoked attack.
- Gehrke died four days after the assault and authorities amended the original aggravated assault counts to include second-degree murder; the suspect is being held on a $650,000 bond.
- Dahseir Edward Jefferson, 27, was arrested by officers four days after the attack and was first booked on two counts of aggravated assault before the charge was upgraded.
- Public records show Jefferson previously served time for aggravated assault, was sentenced in 2021 and released in October 2024, and also has an earlier burglary conviction.
- Gehrke’s family described her as a two-time cancer survivor and launched a GoFundMe to cover funeral and related expenses as investigators with the Robbery Assault and Homicide units continue the case.