Savannah Stein met her first boyfriend at a cousin’s party when she was 14 years old and living in the Port Richmond section of Philadelphia.
Jose Aces, one year older and a full foot taller, was the yin to Savannah’s yang. His father had been deported to Cuba when Jose was only about seven years old and Jose and his four siblings (Joshua, Robert, Christian, and Luz) struggled in Kensington as their grandparents assumed the responsibility of raising them.
Savannah, meanwhile, grew up in Southampton in Bucks County, where residents left their front doors unlocked and streetlights were considered unnecessary.
To Jose, Savannah appeared quiet and proper. A charismatic entertainer, Jose brought out the spunk in her, while she introduced him to peaceful parks and campgrounds outside of the city limits, and Thanksgiving dinners with velvet-encased silverware and everyone going around the table expressing their gratitude.
On their first real date, Jose showed up without warning, wearing a red shirt with a tie printed on it, and whisked Savannah off to the movies and the circus.
Savannah and Jose
The couple stayed together for eight years — through two children (Jose Jr. and Vienna’lee), Jose’s nearly two-year stint in prison on drug-related charges, and financial upheaval.
“We just had a very strong connection,” Savannah remembered. “It was just something about the way we loved each other.”
On November 3, 2021 at around 9:30 p.m, Jose was fatally shot on the 3000 block of North Lee Street in Kensington. A second victim, a 37-year-old male who worked with Jose, was shot in the leg but survived. No suspects have been arrested.
Two weeks prior, Jose’s mother, Luz Rosario, died from a heart attack. Jose is buried in Greenmount Cemetery.
Jose was born in Kensington on July 25, 1998 and the “Badlands” held a strong grip on him throughout his life, even after he and Savannah began renting near Mayfair.
“It wasn’t like he could be molded into a different lifestyle,” explained Savannah’s mother, Carrie. “He was a work in progress and he was getting there.”
When Savannah first met Jose, he had his guard up. His cousin had just been murdered walking out of his house.
He spent time in juvenile detention but eventually earned his GED from The Summit Academy. He enrolled in PowerCorpsPHL, a city program for at-risk young adults, and learned how to repair water lines.
Later, he worked in landscaping and took retail jobs at Home Depot and Giant.
But Jose was impatient to earn a good living, Savannah said, so he returned to street crime against her objections.
“He would risk his life doing what he was doing because he felt as though the man should be providing,” she recalled. “He never wanted the help. He just always wanted to do it himself.”
Jose Aces
Savannah called him every hour to make sure he was safe. Jose returned home exhausted and stressed by his increasing responsibilities, yet he still encouraged Savannah to pursue higher education in the medical field. The couple welcomed Jose Jr. shortly after Savannah had graduated from high school, and she worked as a clerk at ShopRite.
Jose’s children were his greatest gifts. He was an attentive father, who took them to the Camden Aquarium, Philadelphia Zoo and Wildwood. He enjoyed playing Fortnite against his son and tickling his daughter and swinging her in the air to make her smile.
“Walmart trips were the worst,” Savannah remembered. “Each toy they wanted they got.”
Obsessed with anything Ralph Lauren and Nike Air Force sneakers (one scuff rendered them unwearable), Jose attempted to give his family the life he never had. He and Savannah discussed getting married one day and moving out to the suburbs when the timing was right.
Nearly seven feet tall, husky and outgoing, Jose undoubtedly attracted attention. His main goal was to make people happy by contorting his mouth in strange facial expressions, rapping like Lil Durk or performing his signature two-step dance.
Dependable yet spontaneous, Jose would surprise Savannah with a Michael Kors watch or a makeup shopping spree. The couple also enjoyed down time on the couch binging the TV drama “Empire.”
Carrie, who still refers to Jose as her son-in-law, appreciated how he took accountability for his actions and did not make excuses. He treated her with respect, even when she gave him unsolicited advice on child-rearing.
“He dealt with the cards he was dealt in life,” Carrie said. “He had a lot more potential than what he was giving himself.”
“I really feel like he would have definitely found his way out,” she continued. “He would’ve been the one who would get there.”
A reward of up to $20,000 if available to anyone that comes forward with information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the persons responsible for Jose Aces’ murder. Anonymous calls can be submitted by calling the Citizens Crime Commission at 215-546-TIPS. Information can also be submitted to the Philadelphia Police Department online or by calling 215-686-TIPS.
Resources are available for people and communities that have endured gun violence in Philadelphia. Click here for more information.
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