Former Police Detective Ron Dove Indicted in Murder Case

Ronald Dove and Erica Sanchez

Ronald Dove, a former detective with the Philadelphia Police Department, has been indicted on charges that he allegedly helped his girlfriend evade investigators who suspected her in a homicide.

Dove, a 16-year veteran of the force, was fired in November 2013. The indictment was announced today by District Attorney Seth Williams.

“Police personnel have the responsibility to uphold the law, protect the rights of all people and to do so with the highest level of integrity, and Ron Dove failed to maintain that oath,” Commissioner Charles Ramsey said in a statement. “He has caused embarrassment to this city, this department and his family because of his shameful actions. Dove’s conduct is simply intolerable and inexcusable.”

Dove’s problems began with the death of Cesar Vera in the fall of 2013. According to a a statement issued today by the D.A.’s office:

“On September 8, 2013, a body was found in an after-hours club on North 5th Street. The victim, named Cesar Vera, had been stabbed once, directly into the heart,” reads a statement. “Police quickly identified a suspect – Vera’s estranged lover, Erica Sanchez. But it took them more than a month to bring Sanchez into custody. As it turned out, Sanchez had another lover – Philadelphia homicide detective Ronald Dove.”

Dove allegedly took Sanchez to Rochester, New York, and bought her a cell phone. He then reportedly returned to Philadelphia, cleaned her car, and asked a body shop owner to keep it hidden in a garage.

A grand jury recommended he be charged with hindering apprehension, flight to avoid apprehension, two counts of conspiracy, obstructing the administration of law, tampering with or fabricating physical evidence, and unsworn falsification to authorities.

Official documents from the Philadelphia Police Department, the investigating grand jury, and the district attorney’s office are below.