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An emotional speech from a grieving father led LIV Golf star Phil Mickelson to call out the justice system.
Mickelson saw the testimony by Stephen Federico at a House Judiciary Subcommittee meeting Monday in Charlotte, North Carolina, following the stabbing death of Iryna Zarutska on the city’s light rail less than two months ago.
Federico’s daughter, Logan, a 22-year-old aspiring teacher from Waxhaw, North Carolina, was visiting friends at the University of South Carolina when “career criminal” Alexander Dickey allegedly broke into a Cypress Street home on May 3 and shot and killed her.
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Logan Federico was a 22-year-old aspiring teacher from North Carolina, working two jobs while studying at Central Piedmont Community College. (handout)
Dickey had been arrested 39 times on 25 felonies. Federico shared his grief and explained why he continues to push for change in the legal system.
Mickelson was clearly moved, reposting Federico’s remarks on X with his own message.
“The judge(s) who let this person go should be held accountable and in jail,” Mickelson wrote.
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Federico’s testimony was raw and emotional.
“Think about your child coming home from a night out with their friends, laying down going to sleep, feeling somebody come into their room and wake them. Drag them out of bed, naked, force on her knees with her hands over her head, begging for her life,” he said, fighting back tears.
“She was 5-foot-3, she weighed 115 pounds. Bang! Dead. Gone. Why? Because Alexander Devante Dickey, who was arrested 39 goddamn times, 25 felonies, was on the street. … You will be sick and tired of my face and my voice until this gets fixed. I will fight until my last breath for my daughter. Stop protecting the people that keep taking them from us … please. You have the power. We put you into power to do what you have to do. We’re asking you, we’re begging you all to stop this.”
Federico later appeared on Fox News’ “The Ingraham Angle,” where he explained his mission further.
Stephen Federico recounts the moment he learned his daughter, Logan, had been fatally shot while visiting friends at USC in Columbia, South Carolina. (Adam Eugene Willis for Fox News Digital)
“I’m fighting for Logan. I have to be Logan’s voice because nobody else will be. I don’t have anybody fighting for her justice. Somebody has to fight for the innocent people who are left here. We have to make some drastic changes in our system. People like Alexander Dickey should not be on the street — people know that,” he said.
The Lexington County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that Dickey’s criminal record spanned eight agencies. He was booked 11 times between 2013 and 2025, facing multiple burglary and larceny charges. A first-degree burglary conviction in South Carolina carries a minimum 15-year prison sentence and up to life in prison.
Federico said the system gave Dickey more rights than his daughter ever had.
“They cared more about making sure he wasn’t put in prison than worrying about whether or not he was going to hurt somebody,” he said. “His crimes escalated every time he made a new one. He finally graduated to the jackpot and executed our daughter. We’re still trying to hear from our South Carolina solicitor to see if he’s going to get the death penalty or not. Obviously, it checks all the boxes that it does.
Phil Mickelson of United States looks on during a practice round prior to The 152nd Open championship at Royal Troon on July 15, 2024 in Troon, Scotland. (Pedro Salado/Getty Images)
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“But they’re more concerned about keeping criminals out of the prisons and institutions than they are to try to rehabilitate them. You can’t rehabilitate some of these guys, it’s just impossible.”
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