On a spring night in Columbia, South Carolina, 22-year-old Logan Federico was visiting friends, dreaming of a future as a teacher. Just weeks earlier, the bubbly, strong-willed college student from Waxhaw, North Carolina, had finally discovered her career path. Her life, however, was tragically cut short in a violent crime that has since ignited a national conversation about justice and repeat offenders.
The man accused of taking her life, Alexander Devonte Dickey, was a 30-year-old described by authorities as a “career criminal” with a staggering history of 39 arrests and 25 felony charges. His journey through the criminal justice system, marked by short prison stints and clerical errors, left a grieving family asking one painful question: Why was he on the streets?
Logan’s story is more than a single, senseless tragedy. It’s a catalyst, forcing a painful examination of how the legal system handles repeat offenders. Her father, Stephen Federico, has transformed his profound grief into a powerful, public crusade for change, ensuring his daughter’s name becomes a symbol for the urgent need to fix a broken system.
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A Promising Life Cut Short by a “Career Criminal”
Logan Federico was, by all accounts, a force of life. She was a vibrant 22-year-old with a big personality who drew people in and fiercely stood up for the underdog. She was pursuing an education degree at South Piedmont Community College and planned to transfer to the College of Charleston, working two jobs as she built her future. Like many her age, she was a devoted Taylor Swift fan, feeling a special connection to the anthem “22.”
Her life ended in the early morning hours of May 3, 2025. While staying at a friend’s home on Cypress Street in Columbia, police say Alexander Dickey broke into the unlocked residence. According to investigators, Dickey had already stolen a car and then broken into a neighboring home to steal keys, a wallet, and a firearm before entering the house where Logan was sleeping. He allegedly shot and ended her life, then fled the scene. In the hours that followed, he went on a shopping spree using stolen credit and debit cards before a dramatic manhunt ended with his arrest after he barricaded himself in a home in Gaston, South Carolina.
🚨 Every single Democrat who supported these policies should be FORCED to listen to these words from the father of 22-year-old Logan Federico.
She was k*IIed in her bed by a thug with 39 prior arrests, including 25 felonies. LISTEN: pic.twitter.com/qrcxaJc9kT
— Bongino Report (@BonginoReport) September 30, 2025
The details of the crime are harrowing. Her father, Stephen Federico, later gave a raw, emotional account at a congressional hearing, describing how his daughter was dragged from her bed and forced to her knees before she was murdered. “She was 5-foot-3. She weighed 115 pounds… BANG! Dead. Gone,” he told lawmakers, his voice shaking with a mix of sorrow and fury.
A Father’s Fight for Justice and a System Under Scrutiny
The man charged with Logan Federico’s murder, Alexander Dickey, had a criminal history that spanned more than a decade. Despite nearly 40 charges since 2013, he had been sentenced in only eight cases and had spent a little over 600 days in prison over ten years. Stephen Federico calculated that the 30-year-old should have been in jail for over 140 years for all the crimes he had committed. This massive gap between arrests and actual prison time is at the heart of the family’s outrage.
A deeper investigation after Logan’s death revealed systemic flaws. In 2023, Dickey had pleaded guilty to third-degree burglary and received a probation sentence. The prosecutor, Solicitor Rick Hubbard, stated that his office was unaware of Dickey’s prior burglary convictions because his official criminal record from the State Law Enforcement Division (SLED) was incomplete. The reason? SLED claimed it never received fingerprints for Dickey’s 2014 first-degree burglary arrest, which is what triggers the addition of charges to a central criminal history. Had prosecutors known about his full record, Hubbard said Dickey would have faced a longer sentence and likely been in prison, not on the street, the night Logan was murdered.
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This revelation turned Stephen Federico’s grief into a determined mission. “You have the power. We put you into power to do what you have to do. We’re begging you all to stop this,” he pleaded with lawmakers at a congressional field hearing in Charlotte. He vowed, “I will fight until my last breath for my daughter.” His powerful testimony turned a political hearing into a deeply human moment, highlighting the real-world consequences of policy failures and bureaucratic errors.
Logan Federico’s legacy is now twofold. She is remembered by loved ones as a joyful, fierce young woman who loved animals and lifted up those around her. At the same time, her name has become a rallying cry for reform, as her father works tirelessly to ensure that no other family has to endure the same nightmare, and that the system that failed her is forced to change.