Ajahnae Smaugh, 14-years-old has been charged with the murder in the beating death of a 59-year-old Philadelphia animal advocate, Albert Chernoff, who was found deceased in his Foxchase home located in the 8400 block of Algon Avenue in the Northeast Philadelphia home on November 4th.
She has been charged as an adult and is in juvenile detention since she was unable to post bail. Her first pre-trial hearing is November 27th.
Philadelphia police say Smaugh tied the victim to his bed before beating him to death. A police report said that his death is attributed to a burglary gone wrong.
Reports say Smaugh is a prostitute.
Smaugh has been charged with tampering with evidence, obstruction of justice, and possession of an instrument of crime according to the police. Smaugh turned herself in November 8th after her parents saw her on video surveillance footage shown on various media outlets.
Smaugh is accused of using a blunt weapon, (a two by four plank with nails was found at the scene) which caused major trauma to his head. Chernoff also had severe slash wounds to his chest. He was found naked and partially tied to his bed. Chernoff died at the scene.
Smaugh turned herself into authorities along with her mother and two attorneys.
Chernoff was part of the original Rescue Ink Foundation that had a reality show on the National Geographic Channel. Rescue Ink was made up of men who rode motorcycles who fought against animal cruelty. Some of the previous members had been in trouble with the law.
Chernoff and a few others in the group continued their animal rescue work after leaving Rescue Ink. Chernoff is known for his dedication to helping stray and feral cats in the Philadelphia area. He ran Alley Cat Rescue. He is a beloved advocate especially those involved in cat rescue in Philadelphia.
Upon his death, 11 cats, 3 turtles, and 2 albino frogs were found in his home. All have been given to various rescues.
There has been an outpouring of donations to cover his funeral expenses through a GoFundMe page; however, all expenses have been privately and through the military. Chernoff was a military veteran. The entire proceeds will go to various animal rescues that Chernoff liked.
I met members of Rescue Ink in at an event. I spoke with all of them and they agreed to be on my television show. All were extremely nice to me.
Troubles began mounting for the organization and it became clear they wouldn’t be able to be on my show.
Chernoff was a dedicated rescuer who also worked as a supervisor at the Philadelphia International Airport.
If a report of a burglary gone wrong is the reason why Chernoff was murdered, what would possess this young girl to do such a horrific act?
In the surveillance video, Smaugh walked around his home so calmly. She was seen washing her hands and looking into his refrigerator/freezer. If she just killed him, she seemed very cold and detached from what she had done. She was there for an hour before leaving Chernoff’s home. She didn’t take anything from his home.
I wonder if Chernoff was still alive calling out for help when we see the killer on the video. Reports said the victim was killed at 10:30 PM but was heard at 3 AM by a neighbor. That makes no sense to me.
There is 1 1/2 hours of video footage with only a few minutes released to the media to identify the suspect.
The police are investigating.
I know people are speculating many things about this case. Why was a young girl in his house? If she was a prostitute, was she hired by Chernoff? He is being maligned by many and praised by his supporters.
How was she able to tie Chernoff to the bed? Was he asleep and she walked in on him? Chernoff appeared to be a physically strong man. How could she overpower him? Questions like this lead to more questions and speculation.
I say we need patience to wait for the police to do their investigation before are assumptions are made.
Chernoff’s murder has become divisive among advocates in the animal community and it’s quite sad. Some are calling him a pedophile while others say he was helping out this 14-year-old. The truth is that we don’t know what the facts are and we should reserve judgment until factual information is released.
Smaugh’s lawyer, Howard Taylor, said on a CNN interview that, It’s a very sad situation. Troubled girl. There’s a reason police can’t say much. There’s a lot more to it.”
Taylor added that “he (Chernoff) wasn’t totally innocent either.”
People are entitled to their opinions but I wish both sides would wait before writing such hateful comments on social media.
According to Smaugh’s facebook page, she if self-employed. Also states she attended a community college.
Tina Evangelista-Eppenstein is a television talk show host, speaker, writer, and an unabashed animal advocate. Her love for animals and quest for the hard truth is what drives her passion for all things animals. She hosts the television show, “A Close Up Look at Animal Welfare Issues.” She adores her tripawd, Brody, who was a formerly abused pup who lost his leg because of cruelty inflicted upon him. If you’d like Tina to talk to your group or have a story, please email her at tevangelistaepp@yahoo.com. Like https:www.facebook.com/ACloseUpLookatAnimalWelfareIssues and be sure to check out AnimalWelfareIssues.com.
This case is very peculiar. On the surface there are implications which can suggest that Ajahnae Smaugh is a monster or Chernoff had a questionable background.
I’ve read Smaugh is a trans guy. I questioned if the person was a male or female when they released the footage. It doesn’t matter what the sex is of this person becuz Chernoff was murdered by them. It was a brutal beating death.
How does a 14 yr old have the ability to overpower Chernoff? I can see how this was a burglary. If Smaugh went into the house to rob and found him in bed, she could’ve started beating on him to disable him so she could tie him up.
She didn’t want Chernoff to id her so she had to hurt him. I don’t know why the beating had to be so cruel.
Another scenario in my head is Chernoff hired her for her services, if she is a prostitute. Maybe something went terribly wrong and she wanted to retaliate.
I don’t know. It doesn’t add up either way.
Instead of robbing and most likely getting a fine out of it, she now stands accused of killing him. She could potentially spend decades in jail.
All the puzzle pieces don’t fit. I guess we have to wait. What do you think, Tina?
I agree that the murder doesn’t make sense. We’re going to have to wait until more details are revealed.
The police did say it was a burglary gone wrong. Apparently it went severely wrong. However, if it was a burglary, why wasn’t anything taken.
Going through his refrigerator and freezer and completely calm would suggest someone with serous mental issues.
There is speculation about Chernoff and I wish people would wait for the investigation to see what they find out.
Many are ruining his name when all the facts aren’t in.
The only facts we know is that she killed Chernoff and was seen on video footage inside his home. Plus she admitted killing him. Now we must wait.
Thx.
Chernoff was probably screwing the 14 year old, why else was he found tied-up in bed, naked.
Perhaps, if he had devoted more time to interacting with humans, and not animals, he may have dated, and possibly had a relationship with an another adult, instead of preying on children.
There’s absolutely no excuse for murder; but, the murder victim is obviously not innocent.
The 14 year old should be prosecuted as a minor, not an adult; but, what can you expect from a backwards society like the USA, especially Pennsylvania.
RIP Al. :'( Thank you for all that you did for cats.
I hope she rots in prison. She deserves it. If she is a trans, I hope the gov’t doesn’t pay for it while she’s in prison. That’s just wrong.
How could she overpower Al? He was strong.
Good question. I think maybe he was sleeping and she snuck in and hit him first rendering unable to do anything. Then she tied him to the bed. Only a theory. Just horrific.
Please, what planet are you living on; why do you think he was found tied-up naked in bed? It reminds me of the B&D scene in the movie, ‘Bruno’.
very sad. 🙁
Rescue Ink turned out to be not such a good group. Don’t like them. At least Al kept up with rescue work. Did he have a criminal background like so many of the others?
What a horrible way to die.
I’m anxious to see what really happened if we really can find out.
Her lawyer alluded to something about Chernoff not being innocent. I hope he didn’t do anything wrong. I would have a hard time believing it.
She’s a cold blooded killer. Walking around as if nothing happened. So calm. Her entire demeanor suggests someone who has no feelings.
I agree you. She was too calm in the footage. I’d think murdering someone would make your adrenaline surge leaving you anxious, jittery but she was too sedate in the video. Very strange. Thx.
This creature very well may come from an environment where human life is cheap. Unless you’ve grown up in the inner city as I did, you wouldn’t understand.
Regardless as to what the situation was between Mr. Chernoff and the person in the video. He did not deserve to be murdered in his own home in that manner. If he was living in a way that was hurtful or harmful to people they could have sought help from the police and the judicial system….not take matters into their own hands…Now I would like to write about things that really stood out to me in this case based on the short clip that I saw on the news. My initial feeling was that the youth in the video was born a male, however dresses as a female. This crime scene was not the first for the person in the video. I believe their was definitely some type of relationship between them. I believe that person has a drug history of some sort and has had exposures to multiple types of abuses through out their short and fast life. I believe that person was accustomed to getting what they wanted from Mr. Chernoff on a regular basis through manipulation and charm. I also believe Mr. Chernoff was no longer willing to give , help, loan anything else. I believe that person in the video had a negative reaction to his rejection ….took it real personal….and took the situation to a whole new level. I believe that person was a walking time bomb….and the rejection was too much. I believe their ” once a friend” situation turned into “hate driven torcherous homicide” that truly derived from their past……I believe this was a planned ordeal because of the plank with the nails in it. The perpetrator was hurt, angry, and disturbed on the inside ….and went to Mr. Chernoffs house with I’ll intent….but definitely not a burglary.
Consuelo,
It seems more people are taking matters into their own hands lately despite knowing one can call the police or authorities to report if someone was harming anyone.
I don’t know about the gender of Ajahnae Smaugh except there were many including the media who weren’t sure of her gender when first reporting this story.
I don’t have firsthand knowledge about this or your speculations about what happened.. Are you privy to any of the information you wrote or guessing what you think happened?
I surmise that you think the 14-year-old put those nails in the plank making it a pre-meditated murder. I believe Smaugh went there with the intent of killing Chernoff.
Smaugh is obviously mentally off because there was no reaction on the video after killing him. Walking around and looking in his refrigerator and freezer as if nothing happened.
Hopefully we’ll learn more at the next hearing on January 14th.
Thanks.
Although, Chernoff may have been a pedophile, he still didn’t deserve to die.
I would say this situation has need for suspicion. Even if Smaugh was a prostitute, they are still a child which would make whatever Chernoff was doing extremely vile and disgusting.
As for others saying that Smaugh must have mental disorders for walking around calmly after a murder, it seems important to remind that due to Smaughs’ age, the murder alone would be traumatic assuming there wasn’t something more terrible going on that the public doesn’t know about yet (sexual abuse), and while some might respond by shaking, sobbing, etc, others might go completely numb to the situation. This happens if said situation is too much for the individual to process in that moment, and the mind kicks on survival instincts. I don’t think it’s unreasonable that they might go into shock as a result of any part of this story.
I hope the best outcome is possible, for whatever situation truly did occur. Keep in mind, this is a child. Something somewhere much have gone on, and I hope they are able to get the help they need.
When is the trial? It keeps getting postponed. Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s, …
Thelma,
The next court date for Ajahnae Smaug is March 25th.
Lawyers typically ask for a continuance to properly prepare their case for their client. It’s not always the case. I think sometimes this tactic is used in hopes of people forgetting what happened. That isn’t going to happen in this case.
Let’s hope the next court date will happen.
Thanks.
What is the address of court hearings……I would like to attend…..but I don’t know where to go. I know u said next date March 25th …but where?……thanks
Consuelo, the address is Juanita Kidd Stout Center for Criminal Justice at 1301 Filbert Street, Philadelphia. Room 306 a 9 am. Not sure if it’s open to the public since she is a juvenile.
Thank you.
Thank you for responding, and I am positive that it is open to the public regardless of her age. The question is can u be there early enough to get a seat?….I’m guessing a lot of people want to come and support Mr. Chernoff and watch the wheels of Justice turn for him. Philadelphia wants answers and justice for him.
I would arrive early for this preliminary hearing. I’ve attended court cases. Those with much public interest always had too many people to be seated within the court room. Those who arrived too late had to stand outside in the hall. I would get there early, if possible since there is a lot of interest with it
Thank you.
Absolutely,…….are u going to be there?
I’m not sure if I’m going to the preliminary hearing.
I’m gonna try to be there….do u know wat time the court building opens the doors?
I’m sorry I don’t. Thank you.
Thank you for what?….you thanked me . I’m not sure why. I asked you if you were going to the hearing ….I’m going to try and go….
Tina was being nice to u, duh. She thanked u in her previous comments. Geez.
Thanks for noticing my motive in saying thank you.
…and maybe you can just not take things out of context and create issues that don’t exist. I asked a simple question….not a mean question……and besides
….I was asking her a simple and genuine question…..not you. Tina and I converse well…..I don’t need your help…Thank you very much. Let’s keep talking about the important topic at hand. Mr. Chernoff and hopefully a criminal trial that will convict his perpetrator.
I say thank you quite often to show my appreciation for readers who leave comments. That’s all. It’s just who I am.
Good luck if you go to the hearing. Just know if her case is continued again (which happens a lot), it will be a very short visit to the court room.
Have a good day.
Hello Tina, yes I definitely think my question about the thank you was misunderstood by you and “what’s happening people said”. I thought for some reason…..you were sending thank you to maybe someone else…,like sometimes I have sent messages to wrong person by mistake…that’s why I asked…what are you thanking me for?….Anyway, ……obviously, I didn’t go to court , I don’t know if they finally had the prelim or not. I had to have a surgery…so ….catch me up….I’m not seeing any new articles or hearing anything new……
Conseulo,
The hearing wasn’t held due to the pandemic but was rescheduled for today but postponed until then next week. Now it’s indefinitely postponed until it’s safe for people to enter the courts. There is no tentative date set at this time.
I hope you’re feeling better from surgery. Please be safe and healthy!
Hi Tina, thank you for the update and well wishes post surgery…..I think it’s just a shame these proceedings are taking so long…with or without the coronavirus. It just seems so strange that it’s taking so long….especially because of all the video footage they have….in my opinion the perpetrator does not have a defense
….really. so to me it’s not going to be whether they killed Al or not…..I think the they’re going to make it about “why ?” And “how much time” the teenager is going recieve…..what do you think Tina?
Consuelo,
I’m sorry for not replying earlier. Have been under the weather. I remember one of her lawyers who said she has had a rough childhood. I’m thinking her lawyers are trying to create a case that will demonstrate that there is something wrong with her whether it’s mentally or intellectually. Perhaps, they’re hoping she can get a lesser sentence by going that route. Or they’re trying to build a case that will paint Mr. Chernoff in a bad light. Only guesses.
I can’t figure out how a person with her build could ever overpower the heavier and stronger Chernoff. Do you have any thoughts on that?
I agree that it isn’t a question if she murdered Mr. Chernoff but why.
As far as the case taking this long, it’s not out of the ordinary. Cases like this can drag on and on. Lawyers asking for a continuance repeatedly can delay a case for a long time. The only way this case will go faster is if she takes a plea deal and it doesn’t appear that’s going to happen.
With the global pandemic and the shutdown of so many places, this case will more than likely drag on. We will see what happens.
I think the only way Al could not really defend himself.. because according to what I read, and only my opinion would be……..that he allowed her…to tie him to the bed perhaps for reasons of sexual play or enjoyment…..and I think that’s when Mr. Anjanae shifted gears or had a flash back or who knows what?……..But I believe that’s when it went very bad.
Are you sure about that?
That is a very good tip particularly to those new to the blogosphere. Simple but very precise information… Thank you for sharing this one. A must read post!
When is her trial ever going to happen?
So…..it’s September now….have you heard any updates on the case?
Sorry for the delay, Consuelo.
Yes, there have been updates. She had a preliminary hearing scheduled on September 15th which was postponed to October 26th at 8 AM, Room 306.
We’ll see if it actually happens.
Hey Tina,… How are you?…..I hope your doing ok…..and staying covid safe. Have you heard any updates on the case?…..I haven’t heard or read anything new…..I know nothing new to share.
Hi Tina. I haven’t forgotten about the trial have you heard anything?
I’m really sorry for not writing back to you.
No, I haven’t heard any updates on this case. She’s been charged with murder and tampering with evidence. Her hearings should’ve happened by now. I don’t know what’s happening. I’ll try to dig deeper. Covid or no covid, this case should be moving forward by now.
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There’s definately a lot to find out about this topic. I like all the points you made. She killed him but he’s not innocent.
Man they’re dragging their feet on this case.
What the heck is happening with this girl? Why the hold up now? Things have gotten back to normal mostly. What gives?
Is there any update on this case? It breaks my heart to know what happened to Al. It sickens me that people are more than willing to destroy his character when he can’t defend himself.
Just look at him, fkin deamon praying on kid, what is wrong with you people. Devil had made you feel for him…