The hiding place was so good that nobody spotted her body in the car until Friday, when landscapers called police.
At first, cops were baffled and considered that Stephenson, of Southwest Philadelphia, may have been killed execution style, said Upper Darby Township Police Superintendent Michael Chitwood.
But about 3 on Saturday afternoon, Deloatche, of Oxford Street near 54th Street, walked into the Upper Darby police station.
"My conscience is bothering me," he told detectives, according to Chitwood. "I killed her, but when I killed her, it was an accident."
Detectives determined that Deloatche's version of events jibed with all the physical evidence.
"This kid was very contrite and apologetic," Chitwood said. "He just couldn't live with himself."
Deloatche's lawyer, Kevin Mark Wray, said in a statement emailed late last night that he wasn't allowed to see his client at the police station.
"It seems clear that this tragedy was caused by a fight over a gun, in which Mr. Deloatche was in fear for his life," Wray said. "It's self-defense from both the victim, Camilla Stevenson, and "L," the male passenger, both of whom have been implicated in a home invasion in Abington."
Deloatche faces murder charges and is being held without bail, while police continue to delve into a bizarre case involving two homeless best friends.
Stephenson and Deloatche's sister, Ayida, also 18, were as close as sisters, Chitwood said. For several months, they were living out of the Chrysler 300. Ayida is the registered owner of the car, which was crammed with their clothes, and food for Ayida's baby, who is being cared for by Ayida's mother.
Abington police had been looking for the car because it had been linked to an Oct. 3 home invasion in which three men stole a large amount of cash.
