A Philadelphia man will face a charge of homicide for allegedly beating his girlfriend to death on a Lancaster sidewalk early Sunday morning.

Kenneth Brown Jr., 29, of the 5700 block of Larchwood Avenue, Philadelphia, is to be charged today by Lancaster city police Detective Jimmy Mummau with one count of criminal homicide for the brutal beating death of Tonya Jean Fetrow, 28, of Lancaster. The charge is to be filed before District Judge Cheryl Hartman.

Lancaster County District Attorney Craig Stedman said an autopsy conducted Monday morning by forensic pathologist Dr. Wayne K. Ross showed that Fetrow died from multiple traumatic injuries consistent with a homicide.

Police say Brown was sitting in the rear seat of a white Buick sedan with Fetrow driving the car south on Fairview Avenue around 12:10 a.m. Brown began to choke her from behind as she stopped at St. Joseph Street.

A friend of Fetrow's who was sitting in the front passenger seat said she tried to remove Brown's hands from Fetrow's throat.

Police said Brown and Fetrow got out of the car at Fairview Avenue and St. Joseph Street, where he began beating her, "stomping" her throat repeatedly as she lay face up on the sidewalk.

Fetrow's friend again attempted to stop the alleged attack, police said, pushing Brown away, but he again began choking Fetrow, causing a large amount of blood to gush from her nose and mouth.

Brown then picked up Fetrow, police said, threw her into the rear seat of the Buick and drove from the scene.

Fetrow's lifeless body was found around 7 a.m. Sunday in a driveway in the 1400 block of Long Lane in East Donegal Township, police said.

Brown was arrested without incident around 3:45 p.m. Sunday by Lancaster city detectives and the Lancaster County SERT team as he walked along Columbia Avenue through Mountville, police said.

Brown was initially taken to Lancaster police headquarters and arraigned early Monday morning by District Judge Stuart A. Mylin of Quarryville on charges of attempted homicide and aggravated assault.

Bail was set by Mylin at $5 million, but Brown now is being held at Lancaster County Prison without bail.

Anyone with information on the attack is asked to contact the Lancaster police at 735-3300 or Mummau at 735-3319.

E-mail: myoder@lnpnews.com