Contractor accused of stealing from the dead faces new charge

Virgil Philistin, 26, hired to remove dead bodies from homes

SAN ANTONIO – A man who already had been arrested for allegedly stealing from the dead in Converse now faces an additional charge in San Antonio.

An arrest affidavit stated Virgil Philistin, 26, was a contract worker with the Bexar County Medical Examiner's Office hired to drive an ambulance and pick up the bodies of people who died for transport to a mortuary or morgue. 

It stated that on Dec. 23, a Philistin was one of the contractor's who removed a man's body from his home.

Later, the man's mother reported that someone had used her son's credit cards after his death to buy $1,000 worth of gift cards at a Target store in the 2800 block of SW Military. 

Detectives obtained a copy of the store's surveillance video and said it shows Philistin using the card, the affidavit stated.

He was arrested Tuesday on a charge of credit card abuse. Philistin faces a similar charge related to the case in Converse.

Police in that city said he was part of a crew who removed a man's body from his home on Dec. 2.

Later, officers noticed the man's home had been burglarized and found out his credit cards also had been used.


About the Author

Katrina Webber joined KSAT 12 in December 2009. She reports for Good Morning San Antonio. Katrina was born and raised in Queens, NY, but after living in Gulf Coast states for the past decade, she feels right at home in Texas. It's not unusual to find her singing karaoke or leading a song with her church choir when she's not on-air.

Recommended Videos