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Fox News
07-07-2025
- Fox News
Father outraged after discovering daughter's alleged killer should have been behind bars years ago
An already grieving father was further enraged upon learning that the man accused of killing his daughter in a home burglary could have already been in prison for numerous other crimes had it not been for an apparent clerical error. Logan Federico, a 22-year-old aspiring teacher from Waxhaw, North Carolina, was visiting friends at the University of South Carolina in Columbia and staying at a Cypress Street home when a "career criminal" broke in and shot her in the early morning hours of May 3. Suspect Alexander Dickey, a 30-year-old man with a lengthy rap sheet, entered the home in the early morning, stole several credit and debit cards and fatally shot Logan in what Columbia Police Chief Skip Holbrook described as a "random" crime during a May 5 press conference. "The main cog in this whole problem was the processing system of a career criminal that eventually escalated to executing Logan Federico," Logan's father, Stephen Federico, told Fox News Digital. "And this wasn't just a random go-in-and-shoot-somebody. This was a guy that was a career criminal. And that's why I hate the word 'random' being used. He wasn't a random criminal. He was a career criminal that came across my daughter… and literally stuck a gun in her rib cage and pulled the trigger, for absolutely no reason." Dickey has nearly 40 prior arrests across different North Carolina counties dating back more than a decade. He pleaded guilty to a first offense of third-degree burglary in 2023 and was sentenced to probation, despite having previously been convicted of second and third-degree burglary charges in 2014, as WIS first reported. Now, different South Carolina officials and agencies are pointing fingers at each other over what appear to have been two clerical errors that led to gaps in Dickey's record. "There are more people … fighting for the rights of a career criminal than fighting for the right for my daughter to be safe." "There are so many things that I think have changed in the last 20 years… where I think that Dickie actually has more rights than Logan did," Federico said. "[T]here are more people fighting for the rights of a career criminal than fighting for the right for my daughter to be safe. … Really think about how horrible that is — that somebody with 39 arrests, 25 felonies, was treated with more respect than Logan Federico." In August 2014, Dickey was charged with grand larceny. The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) received his fingerprints associated with that arrest, and the charge and disposition appear on his criminal history, the agency told Fox News Digital. Dickey was served with four additional burglary and larceny warrants in August 2014, but those charges and dispositions do not appear on his criminal history, and SLED said it did not receive additional prints for that set of charges. In October 2014, authorities served three additional warrants on burglary and larceny charges. Those charges and dispositions do not appear on his criminal history, SLED said, adding that the agency did not receive additional prints for this set of charges. A first-degree burglary charge carries a minimum 15-year prison sentence, and a maximum life sentence. In November 2014, Dickey pleaded guilty to second-degree non-violent burglary and was sentenced to 10 years suspended, meaning he would not have to immediately serve any prison time. In March 2015, Dickey had one of his two other burglary charges from 2014 dropped and pleaded guilty to a first offense of third-degree burglary, which carries a lighter sentence than a second or third offense. In 2023, he again pleaded guilty to a first offense of third-degree burglary — for a second time. WATCH: Rick Hubbard, Solicitor of the Eleventh Judicial Circuit, told WIS he didn't know of Dickey's prior convictions, which ultimately impacted his sentencing in 2023. Hubbard alleged that Dickey's criminal record, or rap sheet, filed with the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) was incomplete. Fox News Digital reached out to Hubbard's office for comment. Federico said that when he learned of the error in Dickey's rap sheet that could have kept him off the streets years ago, it was "the most horrendous thing other than" the phone call he received on the day his daughter was murdered. "If he's not out on the street… this meeting never happens," Federico said of Dickey's encounter with his daughter on May 3. SLED suggested the rap sheet was incomplete because the agency never got Dickey's fingerprints for the 2014 arrest for burglary, which should have come from the Lexington County Sheriff's Department. "The shooting that ended the life of Logan Federico was a senseless tragedy that left her family and friends in pain," Lexington County Sheriff's Office told Fox News Digital in a statement. "Their pain prompts us in law enforcement to help prosecutors forge a rock-solid case against Alexander Dickey when his day in court comes." But the sheriff's department added that Dickey's full record was readily available, even if his fingerprints were not included in his SLED rap sheet. "Anyone in the criminal justice system who had a role in his numerous cases over the past decade could access his long criminal history…" "Anyone in the criminal justice system who had a role in his numerous cases over the past decade could access his long criminal history and see a variety of charges, including 23 arrests in Lexington County alone," the department said. "His felony charges from April 2013 through April 2024 are on his rap sheet and also listed on the court's public website." The sheriff's office said Dickey's charges involving eight different law enforcement agencies led the Lexington County Sheriff's Department to book Dickey 11 times between 2013 and 2025. "Dickey was held in [Lexington County Detention Center] from Aug. 13, 2014 until he was sent to state prison Nov. 21, 2014. His fingerprints were taken during the booking process on Aug. 13, 2014," the department said. "Concerns have been raised as to whether his fingerprints were transmitted according to protocol after he was served additional arrest warrants while still in LCDC later in August and October 2014. We have reviewed all of Dickey's bookings and we were unable to determine if his prints were taken at the time of those additional in-custody bookings in 2014. It's possible the lack of prints associated with those bookings were the result of human or machine error." The sheriff's department further added that it has "worked with state law enforcement and prosecutors in the weeks since Logan's death to ensure the information from Dickey's 11 bookings at LCDC is accurate." "Since his last arrest, we have provided Dickey's fingerprints to state police to complete the August and October 2014 booking files. It's important to note the cases in question were adjudicated and Dickey was sentenced on those charges in 2014 and 2015," the department said. "As the agency that apprehended and arrested Dickey following his most recent crime wave over multiple jurisdictions, we have a significant role in this case." Stephen Federico said he is grateful to law enforcement for solving his daughter's murder within 36 hours after she was found dead, but he is determined to expose problems within the criminal justice system that allowed Dickey to remain on the streets before he allegedly killed Logan. "I am angry, and I'm trying to be very professional, very respectful, and I will never, ever downgrade what the law enforcement did for me and my family and Logan in 36 hours of solving this case. And it hasn't gone to the courts yet, but it will, and they keep accumulating evidence and evidence, and are doing a great, outstanding job. But that doesn't mean... that there aren't holes in the system," he said. "We're going to get to the bottom of why it happened," he said. "I don't know what's going to come of that. The finger pointing… everybody can finger point everywhere they want. But there is a process that's gonna lead us back to where it started and where it ended and who needs to be held responsible for it." Dickey is charged with murder, two counts of first-degree burglary, two counts of possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime, possession of a weapon by a convicted felon, two counts of grand larceny, grand larceny of a motor vehicle, and three counts of financial transaction card theft. His next court appearance is scheduled for July 25. He faces life in prison for the charges filed against him in Lexington County. Dickey's attorney did not respond to a request for comment.
Fox News
21-05-2025
- Fox News
Father of NC college student 'furious' after career criminal allegedly kills daughter in USC house burglary
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The father of a North Carolina college student who was shot in a "random" burglary earlier this month while she was staying with University of South Carolina students for the weekend was "furious" when he learned of the suspect's lengthy criminal history. Logan Federico, a 22-year-old aspiring teacher from Waxhaw, was visiting friends at USC in Columbia, South Carolina, and staying at a house on Cypress Street on the evening of May 2 through May 3. In the early morning hours of May 3, suspect Alexander Dickey, a 30-year-old "career criminal," entered the home in the early morning, stole several credit and debit cards and fatally shot Logan in what Columbia Police Chief Skip Holbrook described as a "random" crime during a May 5 press conference. "She was supposed to go down the night before, and plans got canceled … so she decided to do it on a Friday," Logan's father, Stephen Federico, told Fox News Digital. "That's the thing that's just gut-wrenching. She wasn't even supposed to be there. She was supposed to be home Friday." On Saturday afternoon, Logan's mother, Melissa Federico, was at home cooking when two officers showed up at her door to tell her the news that Logan had been shot dead in Columbia. Stephen had been golfing with friends when his wife called. "Then, I heard … the screams from my wife on the phone and … she didn't want to tell me that, and I had to kind of pull it out of her," Stephen recalled. "And she finally said Logan's gone, and I said, 'What do you mean gone?' She said dead. And that moment, I had no reaction. I was in shock." He described his feelings upon learning that Logan had been shot as "a kick in the stomach" and "a panic." When he learned through local news that Dickey was a career criminal with nearly 40 prior arrests across different North Carolina counties, he felt "furious." "That was shocking. Absolutely shocking," he said. "I got a name, but obviously, I didn't get a lot of information. They were still investigating the whole background. They told me he was a career criminal. We referred him to something else. It is what it is — that's the way I feel. But yeah, it was a shock that he was actually out on the streets." Logan had been studying at Central Piedmont Community College and working two jobs at the time of her death. She had aspirations to attend a four-year college and become a teacher after she developed a love of kids while babysitting her neighbors over the summer. Federico described her personality as "electric … outgoing, personable, infectious." "Huge heart," he said. "Somebody that cared intensely about people that would go out of her way to make somebody feel included and find the people that felt excluded and make sure she pulled them in." In the early morning hours of May 3, Dickey drove a stolen vehicle into the neighborhood and parked the car on Cypress Street, seemingly at random, according to Columbia police. He allegedly broke into one home and stole the keys to another vehicle and a firearm. He then broke into the home where Federico was staying, police said. There, Dickey allegedly stole several credit cards, saw Federico sleeping in one of the rooms in the house and fatally shot her with the stolen firearm. Authorities responded to the residence around 11 a.m., when Federico was pronounced dead from a gunshot wound. Columbia police described Logan as "a true victim and not an intended target." The next day, Dickey went on a "shopping spree" using the stolen credit cards in West Columbia, and the stolen vehicle he was using broke down in Saluda County, police said. He allegedly called a tow truck to have the stolen vehicle transported to a residence in Gaston. Authorities began tracking Dickey as a person of interest and responded to the residence in Gaston on May 3. He allegedly fled the home when they arrived, and officials spent the remainder of Saturday searching for him. Around 4 p.m. on May 4, a Gaston resident reported seeing a man, later identified as Dickey, emerge from the woods and steal a car. He wrecked the stolen car and fled on foot to the initial Gaston residence law enforcement had responded to the day before and forced his way inside the home. Authorities surrounded the residence and ordered him to emerge, at which point Dickey allegedly tried to set fire to the home. Lexington County Sheriff's Office deputies detained him at the residence. "We're gonna get this guy. I'll see to it." Federico said his daughter's murder robbed the world of a kind person who loved to help others — and robbed the children who would have been Logan's future students of a great teacher. Last week, Dickey appeared in court for a bond hearing. Federico and other family members attended the hearing. He said it was important to him to show up for Logan, and he will continue to do so until his daughter gets justice. The grieving father also thanked Columbia police for their quick work in tracking down and arresting Dickey, calling two officers in particular his "friends." "These officers down there, wow. Superheros." "They're now my friends. All of them are," he said. "Just special people. Really special people. They found their calling." Dickey is charged with murder, two counts of first-degree burglary, two counts of possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime, possession of a weapon by a convicted felon, two counts of grand larceny, grand larceny of a motor vehicle, three counts of financial transaction card theft. He was given a probation sentence for a burglary charge in 2023, which was reduced for compliance. His next court appearance is scheduled for July 25. He faces life in prison for the charges filed against him in Lexington County. Dickey's attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
New York Post
11-05-2025
- New York Post
Swiftie college coed was executed as she slept by ‘career criminal' who broke in then went on shopping spree with her credit cards: cops
An aspiring teacher and devoted Swiftie was executed as she slept by a 'career criminal' who stole her credit cards and went on a shopping spree, cops said. And her heart-broken father says he's still waiting for her to reply to his last text message to her, 'goodnight, I love you.' College coed Logan Federico, 22, of Waxhaw, N.C., was visiting friends in Columbia, S.C. on May 3 when a prowler broke into a rental house, swiped her credit cards, and gunned her down, the Columbia Police Department said in a press conference. Advertisement 5 Logan Federico, 22, of Waxhaw, N.C., was sleeping when a 'career criminal' broke in and shot her to death, cops say. Facebook/Stephen Federico A student at South Piedmont Community College, Logan worked two jobs and was planning to transfer to the College of Charleston to become a teacher, her father, Stephen Federico, told WIS News 10 She was known for her bubbly personality, work ethic, and obsession with Taylor Swift, Federico said. Advertisement 'She was strong-willed from the start,' the heartbroken father said through tears. 'She loved animals, she was a people person, she drew people in. It was the right people, too, people who needed to be uplifted,' he said. 5 'She was strong-willed from the start,' Logan's heartbroken father Stephen Federico said through tears. WIS News 10 5 Logan worked two jobs while attending community college and had plans to transfer to the College of Charleston after visiting the city. Facebook/Stephen Federico Advertisement Alexander Dickey, 30, a career criminal with 40 prior charges, allegedly broke into the rental home where Federico was staying with a stolen gun and opened fire after stealing from the house. 'She was asleep,' Columbia Police Chief Skip Holbrook said, calling her a 'true victim.' 5 Alexander Dickey allegedly broke into the rental home and opened fire on Logan after stealing from the house. Lexington SC Detention Center Dickey went on a shopping spree the next day with Logan's credit cards, and was caught shortly after he was spotted emerging from the woods, stealing a car, and driving to a residence in Gaston, cops said. Advertisement 'We texted the night she got there to make sure she was safe,' her dad recalled. 'Wednesday night, which became a tradition with all of us, I always sent a text that said 'goodnight, I love you, I'm going to bed,' and they [his family] always responded… I'm still waiting for hers,' he said. Logan's last text message was to her boss at a Charlotte bar, Jeff Reed, who helped kickstart her career as a bartender, Federico said. 'One of the last things she said to me was 'I love you,'' Reed told the outlet about her last shift. His bar is now naming a cocktail after her called 'The Queen,' as a tribute to Logan's favorite nickname for her managers. Proceeds from the drink will go to her family, Reed said. Logan is survived by her father, mother, and brother. 5 Federico gave a defiant speech to his daughter's alleged killer during a press conference. Columbia Police Department, SC¿ Federico gave a defiant speech to his daughter's alleged killer during a press conference. Advertisement 'The message I wanted to send to Dickey, who took my daughter's life — this is from her: 'You can't kill my spirit. You might be able to kill my body … but you cannot kill my love that my family and friends shared with me.' Dickey faces a slew of charges, including murder, burglary, weapons possession, and credit card theft. Cops say he had convictions for robbery, grand larceny, and resisting arrest. He is scheduled to appear at the Columbia Municipal Court on Tuesday.
