'Romantic rivalry' led to man being stabbed to death in Hollidaysburg, investigators say

HOLLIDAYSBURG, Pa. (WJAC) — Blair County authorities say they believe the slaying of a 27-year-old man in Hollidaysburg was over a “romantic rivalry,” and the killer has since taken his own life after being confronted by police.

The Blair County District Attorney’s Office held a joint press conference Friday where they, along with Hollidaysburg police, outlined the case.

Investigators say 27-year-old Tyler Slippy was found stabbed to death in the bedroom of his Allegheny Street apartment Nov. 22.

They say his body was found by family members and an autopsy later revealed he had four separate stab wounds to his neck, head and chest.

Investigators say Slippy also had defensive wounds on his hands indicating that he tried to fight off his attacker before dying.

According to police, Slippy’s apartment showed no signs of forced entry but there was evidence of a struggle in his bedroom.

The Hollidaysburg police were assisted by state police as they investigated the crime scene.

One of the tools they used in the investigation was luminol which unveiled bloody footprints on the porch and walkways of Slippy’s apartment building.

Investigators say they interviewed more than 25 witnesses over the course of six weeks and executed about 20 search warrants as they hunted Slippy’s killer.

During a follow up interview with one of Slippy’s colleagues, who was later identified as Kenneth Kim, investigators say they noticed he had a cut on his hand.

Police say the first time they interviewed Kim, they didn’t notice the cut because he kept his hand hidden under a table for the entire length of his interview.

When they asked Kim how he got the cut, police say Kim told them he had cut himself on a knife while unloading his dishwasher.

However, police say they were able to track down Kim’s medical records which showed him being treated for the cut at Conemaugh Memorial Medical Center just hours after Slippy was murdered.

Police say they also learned through further interviews that Kim had a romantic interest in Slippy’s girlfriend whom they both worked with at Stuckey Automotive.

Police say they executed search warrants to search Kim’s vehicles and home and to photograph the cut on Kim’s hand.

While they were serving the search warrant, police say Kim stole a vehicle from his employer and drove to the Quality Inn in Ebensburg, Cambria County.

When Kim was approached by police at the hotel, authorities say he ran into his room and took his own life.

After Kim’s suicide, police say a friend of his reached out to investigators and told them that Kim had confessed to breaking into Slippy’s apartment after memorizing the passcode to the lock that he had seen Slippy use before.

The friend told police that Kim had also confessed to killing Slippy because of their romantic rivalry.

They said the friend was able to provide details about the murder that weren’t made available to the public.

Investigators say they used luminol to find large amounts of blood in Kim’s home and in his car which they believe he was driving the night of the murder.

They say Kim would have been arrested for first degree murder had he not taken his own life.

According to the Blair County District Attorney’s Office, the investigation remains formally open as they await the forensic test results of the last remaining pieces of evidence, but investigators say they fully expect the investigation to be corroborated by the evidence.

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