20-Year-Old College Student Charged in Murder of Sean Schellenger
Michael White of Kingsessing turned himself in to police on Saturday, two days after he allegedly stabbed the real estate developer near Rittenhouse Square.
Left: The late Philadelphia developer Sean Schellenger. (Photo by Sandy Smith) Right: Michael White in his Philadelphia Police Department mugshot.
Police have charged 20-year-old college student Michael White in the high-profile stabbing death of Philadelphia real estate developer Sean Schellenger.
White, of Kingsessing, has been charged with murder and possession of an instrument of crime. White turned himself in to police at 2 a.m. on Saturday, less than two days after he allegedly stabbed Schellenger during a traffic dispute near Rittenhouse Square.
Police say the stabbing occurred around 11 p.m. on Thursday at the intersection of 17th and Chancellor streets in Rittenhouse Square. According to authorities, Schellenger, 37, was traveling as a passenger in a vehicle with two other men when a dispute over traffic occurred.
Schellenger reportedly exited the vehicle and encountered White, who was riding a bike at the time. After an altercation between Schellenger and White turned physical, White allegedly pulled out a large knife and stabbed Schellenger in the back.
Philadelphia Police chief inspector Scott Small said that the incident likely “started as some sort of argument, possibly over congestion and traffic.”
Authorities were called to the scene shortly after the stabbing on Thursday and found Schellenger lying in the road, bleeding heavily. He was taken to Jefferson University Hospital and pronounced dead 20 minutes later.
Schellenger was a former Penn State football player and owner of the Philly-based real-estate company Streamline Solutions. Ex-weatherman John Bolaris, a real estate agent, described Schellenger as a “difference-maker” in Philadelphia and called his death “a loss to the city.”
White, who participates in the nonprofit Philly Youth Poetry Movement and attends Morgan State University in Baltimore, was working as a bike courier at the time of the stabbing, which has garnered notable media attention. White’s family members have indicated that they believe he might have been acting out of self defense, according to Philly.com.
White was denied bail. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for August 1st.
