A Virginia physician assistant entered a plea of not guilty today to a murder charge in connection with a gruesome slaying of another PA in upstate New York.
Jacob L. Klein, 40, of Wirtz, Virginia, was charged with second-degree murder at the Town of New Scotland Court in New York following the discovery last week of 35-year-old Philip Rabadi, another PA. Rabadi was discovered on the garage floor of his New Scotland home, the Albany County Sheriff’s Office said in a press release.
Rabadi’s arms were bound and he suffered multiple stab wounds and body mutilation, authorities reported. Klein allegedly had been stalking Rabadi and his wife, Elana Z. Radin, for 3 days prior to the homicide after driving the 600 miles from Virginia to New Scotland. Radin had once been Klein’s girlfriend, according to a report in the Times Union in Albany, New York.
Klein was being held without bail in the Albany County Correctional Facility and a preliminary hearing was set for Monday. Klein had been extradited from Virginia Wednesday, the press release stated. He had been apprehended there April 15 as a fugitive on an arrest warrant, according to authorities.
Philip Rabadi
Radin and Rabadi were married last September and worked as surgical PAs together at St. Peter’s Hospital in Albany, and “sincerely loved working with one another,” according to Rabadi’s obituary. They missed each other if they weren’t working together, the obituary stated.
“I know an endless amount of love and strength is being sent my way,” Radin said in a Facebook post. “These words do not come close to completely encompassing Phil, but they are mine and I’d like to share them.” The obituary she created, reposted on Facebook, was accompanied by photos of the happy couple at their recent wedding.
“Philip was a shining bright light in this world. He was kind, endlessly charismatic, funny, intelligent, patient, and an immediate friend to all. His smile was breathtaking, and his laugh was infectious. Philip was simply a magnetic person. To have known him was a genuine gift in this lifetime.”
The Albany County Sheriff’s Office received a call to check the welfare of Rabadi after he failed to show up for work last week, according to the press release. Deputies and family members found Rabadi dead, the release stated.
Radin reportedly called 911 and arrived at the home with her father-in-law about the same time as the deputies, according to People magazine.
A St. Peter’s Health Partners spokesperson, in an email to Medscape Medical News, shared the health system’s reaction to the incident: “The news of Philip Rabadi’s passing leaves us with a deep sadness and heavy hearts…In a memo to colleagues, our senior leaders offered their condolences to Philip’s family and loved ones, mourning the tragic passing of our colleague and friend.”
The response continued, “As a healthcare organization, it is our mission to care for those in need. Right now, many of our own are struggling. Grief counseling services are being made available to colleagues should they need additional support.”
A memorial service was to be held for Rabadi today at the Albany Country Club and a scholarship was established for PA students in Rabadi’s name at his alma mater, Albany Medical College.
Meanwhile a search of Klein’s professional history shows he held a PA license in Syracuse, New York, until 2018 and his current license in Virginia was renewed in February.
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