Michael Beverly Was Executed by a Young Man He Was Merely Trying to Help — What Happened?

Michael Beverly's obituary tells the story of a kind, dedicated man who wanted to do some good. The 36-year-old Chester, Pa. police corporal "wanted to make a difference," said his mother. Beverly's twin sister Michelle told The Philadelphia Inquirer that her brother always wanted to be an officer and when he became one, "loved his job." It's for these reasons and so many more, that his murder is so devastating.

On Oct. 16, 2001, a man by the name of Maurice Day stole the life of a committed officer of the law, loving husband, and proud father, when he callously killed Beverly. It was a heartbreaking death that shattered a community and left a family without their patriarch. Where is Maurice Day now? Details to follow.

Beverly's story is being told in the Oxygen series Philly Homicide. The show is hosted by Chris McMullin, a former lieutenant with the Bucks County Sheriff’s Office in Pennsylvania. He told Fox News that what drew him to this job was his desire to "show how hard these detectives work for justice, to bring justice in the name of victims and their families." He told the outlet that when it came to finding Beverly's killer, law enforcement was relentless.

A little over a year after Beverly's death, Day was convicted of first-degree murder and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. He is currently housed at SCI Houtzdale in Houtzdale, Pa. "I guess she’s content knowing that he can sit there for the rest of his life and think about what he did," said McMullin. "Sometimes people think that’s worse than death."

McMullin didn't want to comment on Day's motives, but he has a couple of solid theories. The then 20-year-old was loosely involved with the Boyle Street Boys gang who "used 'extremely violent tactics' to control their younger members and 'street-level salespeople,'" per court documents obtained by Fox News. They did this in order to protect the areas where they sold cocaine.

In an effort to keep her son out of trouble, Gloria Adams had asked Beverly to speak with Day. She was hoping Beverly could keep Day on the straight and narrow. To his credit, Beverly did try talking to Day but McMullin believes the peer pressure coming from the Boyle Street Boys was simply too much.

Beverly's body was found mere steps from Adams's home. She was also the last person he called before getting shot. The distraught mother would later tell police that Day was at his girlfriend's house. At least that's what he told her. Sadly this case would grow increasingly more cold until a break occurred in October 2002. A woman arrested on drug charges claimed she saw Day kill Beverly. That, coupled with testimony from members of the Boyle Street Gang, was more than enough to secure a conviction.

And while that was a relief for Beverly's family and friends, they still grieved the loss of a great man. Beverly was fully committed to the work he did but spent all of his free time with his wife and five children. McMullin summed it up best when he said, "Justice doesn’t always come easy."