Man convicted of stabbing woman to death in North Philly in 2021
A man was convicted of stabbing a woman to death in North Philadelphia four years ago.
Quader Moore, 22, was found guilty of murder and possession of an instrument of crime in the death of Tianna Wells, Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner announced on Friday, Nov. 14, 2025.
On Wednesday, June 16, 2021, police responded to a missing persons report at a rooming house on the 2600 block of North 17th Street in North Philadelphia. When police arrived, they were met by the cousins of 25-year-old Tianna Wells on the steps outside the home. The cousins told police they hadn’t heard from Wells for several days and that their calls went to voicemail.
The officers left but were called back when the cousins went into the rooming house to Wells’ locked second-floor apartment. When they arrived, they noticed a foul odor from inside the apartment. The cousins forced their way inside and found Wells’ body next to her bed. Investigators discovered she had been stabbed in the neck.
Detectives obtained surveillance video showing Wells arriving at the home on the night of June 13, 2021, with a man who they later identified as Moore. Wells stopped responding to calls that night and her phone went off network a few days later. Detectives discovered her phone was still in use, however, and that someone was using it to access Wells’ Instagram page to convert it to a promotional account for Moore’s hip-hop alter ego, “yngp qua.”
Investigators also discovered that Wells’ Instagram account and Moore’s Instagram account used the same IP address in August of 2021, implying that both accounts were being accessed through the same phone. Moore was later identified as the suspect in Wells’ murder.
Three years later, after an extensive investigation, Moore was arrested on the 5900 block of North 5th Street, on Dec. 4, 2024.
While officials did not reveal the exact relationship between Moore and Wells, they said the murder was “domestic” in nature.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline by calling 1-800-799-SAFE (7233), visiting www.thehotline.org or texting LOVEIS to 22522.
“It is through the exceptional prosecution of ADA Josh Myers that this defendant will be held accountable for his heinous actions,” District Attorney Larry Krasner said. “Call detail record analysis, digital evidence, and a civilian witness helped to identify the defendant and bring the victim and her family justice.”
Wells’ mother also shared a statement on Moore’s conviction.
“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,” she wrote.
Moore is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 22, 2025.
