Commonwealth of Pennsylvania v. Quader Moore

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania criminal defense lawyer represented the Defendant charged with first-degree murder and possession of a firearm.



Quader Moore, age 20, was charged with murder for killing Tianna Wells in 2021.



On the morning of Wednesday, June 16, 2021, Philadelphia police officers responded to a Missing Persons Report at a rooming house on the 2600 block of N. 17th St in the North Philadelphia section of the city. When officers arrived, they found the two cousins of a 25-year old woman named Tianna Wells on the steps outside the home and told the officers that they hadn't heard from her in several days. The cousins also said that all calls to her number were going to voicemail. The officers took the Missing Persons Report and left, but were soon called back as Tianna's cousins were let into the rooming house and went to Tianna's locked second-floor apartment. When they got there, they noticed a foul odor coming from inside. The cousins forced their way inside to find the body of the victim on the floor next to her bed. The victim suffered from a 4″ deep knife wound to her neck. Detectives later found that the victim's phone was missing.



Philadelphia Homicide Detectives were able to retrieve video showing the victim arriving home on the evening of June 13, 2021 with a man, later identified at trial as the defendant, Quader Moore. The victim stopped responding to calls that evening, and her phone went off network a couple days later. However, Homicide detectives' investigation showed that the phone was still in use, and was used to access the victim's Instagram page to convert to a promotional account for the defendant's rap alter ego, "yngp qua.” An examination of the victim's Instagram records shows that it was her device that made this change and that this Instagram account — and the defendant's personal Instagram account — used the same IP address in August of 2021, which is consistent with both accounts being accessed by the victim's cell phone, helping to link the defendant to this incident.



The Honorable Judge Diana Anhalt will sentence the Defendant Quader Moore on 12/22/25.



"It is through the exceptional prosecution of ADA Josh Myers that this defendant will be held accountable for his heinous actions,” said District Attorney Larry Krasner. "Call detail record analysis, digital evidence, and a civilian witness helped to identify the defendant and bring the victim and her family justice. ”



"It meant a lot to help secure some justice for Tianna Wells, her family, and the city of Philadelphia,” said ADA Josh Myers. "It is through the thorough work and partnership with Philadelphia Police and their Homicide Unit, particularly Detective Parker, that ensured the certainty of a successful trial.”



The mother of Tianna Wells shared a statement on the prosecution of this case: "This letter is a gesture of my appreciation of and my family's gratitude for the exemplary manner in which [ADA Josh Myers and all who helped] worked in coordination to investigate, capture and ultimately help my family obtain American justice for the grievous murder of my daughter.”

The Defendant was found guilty.