The anguished father of a 22-year-old aspiring educator slain by a persistent criminal during a visit to the University of South Carolina condemned lawmakers on Monday for the lenient crime policies that allowed her murderer to remain at large.
Stephen Federico delivered an emotional and poignant testimony at a congressional hearing in Charlotte focused on addressing rising concerns regarding violent crime and repeat offenders—just weeks after the tragic murder of Ukrainian national Iryna Zarutska.
The atmosphere was already charged with tension when the grief-stricken father addressed the committee, especially after Democratic North Carolina Representative Deborah Ross mistakenly identified a photo of his daughter as Zarutska.
“This is my daughter, okay? This is Logan Federico,” he admonished Ross. “How dare you not know her.”
Ross followed up with multiple apologies for her error as the hearing proceeded.
“How many of y’all have kids?” the distressed father firmly asked the committee. “Here’s what I need you to do. When I tell you this story… think about your child.”
Logan Federico lost her life on May 3 while visiting friends at USC in Columbia, South Carolina, after 30-year-old “career criminal” Alexander Dickey broke into the Cypress Street home.
“Think about your child coming home from a night out with friends, lying down, going to sleep, feeling somebody come into the room… and wake them. And drag her out of bed. Naked. Forced on her knees. With her hands over her head. Begging for her life. Begging for her hero. Her father. Me. That couldn’t be there,” Federico stated, his voice strained with tears and outrage.
“She was 5-foot-3. She weighed 115 lbs… BANG!” he exclaimed, his voice resonating through the room. “Dead. Gone. Why? Because Alexander Devonte Dickey—who had been arrested 39 times, with 25 felonies—was walking free.”
Dickey had an extensive history of break-ins and was found to have gone on a credit card spending spree after the horrible crime, which occurred before he was apprehended.
Federico condemned the justice system for its repeated failures, not just towards his daughter but many others impacted by violent crime.
“He should have been behind bars for over 140 years for all the crimes he committed. Instead, he spent a little over 600 days in jail over the last decade. He’s only 30 years old,” Federico expressed.
“Since he was 15 years old, he committed 2.65 crimes a year. But nobody thought he could be rehabilitated. Well, wouldn’t you have to put him in prison to see if he could be rehabilitated? Isn’t that the point of imprisonment? But no.”
Despite his overwhelming grief, the determined father pledged to continue advocating for change.
“I will fight until my last breath for my daughter. I will not be silent until there’s change. Logan deserves to be heard. Everyone on this panel deserves to be heard. And we will be heard,” he asserted.
“You hold the power. We elected you to enact changes. We’re asking you, we’re pleading with you to end this,” he implored.
Records reveal that Dickey faced nearly 40 charges since 2013, with only eight cases resulting in sentences, which included robbery and drug possession.
In 2023, Dickey pled guilty to third-degree burglary, which resulted in a five-year sentence, reduced by over 410 days served, due to “good behavior.”
In the early hours of May 3, Dickey drove a stolen vehicle into a neighborhood and parked at random on Cypress Street, as confirmed by the Columbia police. He allegedly broke into one home, stealing car keys and a firearm before entering the residence where Federico was staying, leading to the tragic outcome.
Around 4 p.m. on May 4, a local resident spotted a man—later identified as Dickey—emerging from the woods and stealing a vehicle. After crashing the stolen vehicle, he fled on foot back to a Gaston home that law enforcement had previously visited the day before, where he broke in again.
Law enforcement subsequently surrounded the property, commanding him to exit, but Dickey attempted to ignite a fire within the home. He was successfully apprehended by deputies from the Lexington County Sheriff’s Office.
Dickey is now facing severe charges, including murder, two counts of first-degree burglary, several weapon-related charges, grand larceny, and theft of a motor vehicle.
He could face a life sentence if convicted on the charges filed against him.
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