Police are investigating after 22-year-old Logan Federico was found dead Saturday night.
COLUMBIA, S.C. — Columbia Police have arrested a man they say is responsible for the death of a young woman found dead at a Columbia home over the weekend.
Chief Skip Holbrook said late Monday afternoon that 22-year-old Logan Federico was the person who was killed at a home on Cypress Street in Columbia sometime early Saturday morning. A suspect, 30-year-old Alexander Dickey, is now charged with murder in connection with her killing as well as numerous other charges.
The incident occurred Saturday morning, May 3, in the 2700 block of Cypress Street. Officers responded to a 911 call at 11:14 a.m. after Federico’s body was discovered inside a home by friends. Within minutes of receiving the call about her body being found, police also received a call about a stolen vehicle from a neighboring property.
An autopsy confirmed that Federico, a college student from Waxhaw, North Carolina, died from a single gunshot wound to the chest.
Federico had been visiting friends who are college students and fraternity members. Police believe she and her friend returned to the house shortly before 3 a.m. after a night out. Sometime later, police said Dickey allegedly broke into that house, stealing keys, a gun, and other items. He then entered the neighboring house—where Federico was staying—and fatally shot her.
“This is why we fight for victims,” Chief Holbrook said during the press conference. “Logan was a true victim: helpless and not an intended target.”
Dickey allegedly fled the scene in a stolen vehicle and went on what Chief Holbrook called a “shopping spree” using stolen credit and debit cards in Lexington and Saluda Counties. Holbrook said the vehicle broke down in Saluda County, and Dickey called a tow truck to transport it to a home in Gaston in Lexington County, where he knew another woman.
By this point, investigators said they’d had begun tracking Dickey, and law enforcement from multiple agencies converged on the Gaston-area home. Dickey fled into nearby woods, sparking a search that lasted through severe weather overnight. Around 4 p.m. Sunday, Holbrook said a resident spotted a man matching Dickey’s description leaving the woods and stealing another vehicle, which he later crashed. Dickey then returned to the Gaston home, forced entry into the unoccupied residence, and barricaded himself inside.
As law enforcement surrounded the home and ordered him to surrender, investigators said the house caught fire. Authorities extracted Dickey through a window and took him into custody. He was treated at a hospital and released.
Dickey is now charged with murder, multiple counts of burglary, possession of a weapon during a violent crime, grand larceny, and financial transaction card theft. Additional charges were filed in Lexington County, including first-degree burglary and second-degree arson. He was denied bond Monday afternoon and as of Monday evening remained at the Lexington County Detention Center.
Logan’s father, Stephen Federico, spoke at the press conference, calling his daughter a “fun-loving” young woman who was a Taylor Swift fan who aspired to become a teacher and worked two jobs to make that dream a reality.
“She loved and adored kids, children of all ages,” Stephen Federico said. “She had a bright future.”
Her dad said he’s met with her friends and that they’ve created a text group to stay in touch. “They promised me they’ll never forget me, never forget Logan,” he said. “That text name is Logan’s crew. She will live on forever, maybe not physically but spiritually she will touch people and protect over people somehow.”
