Tag: Lehigh County District Attorney's Office
Fatal Shooting Of Rapper, Athlete In Allentown Lands 17-Year-Old Charged As Adult: DA
A teen charged in the fatal shooting of a 19-year-old athlete and aspiring rapper in Allentown will stand trial as an adult, authorities announced on Thursday, April 2.
Yaniel Fermin, of Allentown, had all charges held for court following a preliminary hearing on Wednesday, April 1, according to District Attorney Gavin P. Holihan and Allentown Police Chief Charles Roca.
He is charged with Criminal Homicide, Possession With Intent To Deliver, and Possession Of A Firearm By A Minor, authorities said.
Fermin remains in Lehigh County Jail without bail. His next hearing is a formal arraignmen…
$700K Gold, Bitcoin Scam: ‘PayPal’ Poser From NJ Cons Elderly Lehigh County Man, DA Says
A slick con artist posing as a PayPal agent scammed a 74-year-old Pennsylvania man out of nearly $700,000 in gold and cryptocurrency, authorities revealed on Friday, Jan. 16.
Hirtik Hemchand Khatri, of Lawrence Township, New Jersey, pleaded guilty on Thursday, Nov. 20 to felony charges of Theft by Extortion, Theft by Unlawful Taking – Movable Property, and Criminal Use of a Communication Facility, according to Holihan.
Khatri was sentenced at a hearing before Judge Thomas M. Caffrey to 12 months, minus a day, to 36 months in prison for both theft charges, along with two years of proba…
Murder-For-Hire: Wife, Ex-GF, Gunman All Sentenced In Husband’s Whitehall Killing
All three defendants charged in a murder-for-hire plot that ended with a man gunned down in a Whitehall Township parking lot have now pleaded guilty and received state prison sentences, Lehigh County District Attorney Gavin P. Holihan announced Wednesday, Nov. 5.
Brenda Rodriguez Sentenced
Brenda Rodriguez, 52, of Palmerton, was sentenced to 2½ to 10 years in state prison for her role in the killing of her husband, Hector Garcia Gomez. She pleaded guilty in September to Conspiracy – Aggravated Assault, a felony of the first degree, and was sentenced by Judge Robert L. Steinberg.
Rodriguez…
24-Year-Old Kutztown Native Killed In Motorcycle Crash: Coroner
A Northampton man was killed in a late-night motorcycle crash in Salisbury Township, the Lehigh County Coroner’s Office announced on Thursday, Sept. 4.
Brandon C. Gehris, 24, was pronounced dead at 12:44 a.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 3, in the Emergency Department at Lehigh Valley Hospital–Cedar Crest, Coroner Eric Minnich said.
Gehris was the operator of a motorcycle that collided with a motor vehicle near South Cedar Crest Boulevard and Fish Hatchery Road at approximately 11:05 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 2, according to the release.
He had been wearing a helmet at the time of the crash, investiga…
Two Motorcyclists ID'd After Crashes In Lehigh County Within Hours Of Each Other: Coroner
Two men were killed in separate motorcycle crashes hours apart in Lehigh County on Sunday, Aug. 3, authorities announced Monday, Aug. 4.
Stanley Aviles-Espaillat, 25, of Allentown, was pronounced dead at 8:17 a.m. at Lehigh Valley Hospital–Muhlenberg, the Lehigh County Coroner’s Office said. Aviles-Espaillat was operating a motorcycle that collided with a motor vehicle on the 300 block of W. Tilghman Street in Allentown around 3:20 a.m. The cause of death was multiple blunt force injuries, and the manner was ruled accidental.
Hours later, Gavin J. Long, 20, of Middle Paxton Township, was ki…
Mom Sells Daughter For Drugs, Allentown Man Picks Up Next Victim From School In Uber, DA Says
An Allentown man who raped a 12-year-old girl after she was sold to him for cash and drugs, and lured another from middle school using an Uber, will serve up to five decades in state prison, authorities announced on Tuesday, July 22.
Joshua Mickey Martel, 32, pleaded guilty to Rape of a Child, Trafficking in Individuals, and Statutory Sexual Assault, all felonies of the first degree, according to Lehigh County District Attorney Gavin P. Holihan.
Martel was sentenced to 21 to 50 years in state prison by Judge Robert L. Steinberg and must register for life as a sexual offender, the DA’s offic…
Scooter Rider Killed In Allentown Crash Identified As 52-Year-Old Rufus Martin: Coroner
A scooter rider who died after a crash with a car in Allentown has been identified as Rufus A. Martin, the Lehigh County Coroner announced on Thursday, July 17.
Martin, 52, of Allentown, was riding a scooter northbound on N. 8th Street just past W. Chew Street when he was hit by a vehicle around 5:30 p.m. on Friday, July 4, authorities said. The impact ejected Martin off the scooter, causing him to strike the vehicle and land on the roadway, according to the coroner’s report.
He was taken to Lehigh Valley Hospital–Cedar Crest, where he was pronounced dead at 8:46 p.m. on Tuesday, July 15.
…
Scooter Rider Struck, Killed; Next-Of-Kin Still Sought: Lehigh County Coroner
A man riding a scooter was killed in a crash in Allentown, and authorities are now trying to locate his next-of-kin, the Lehigh County Coroner’s Office announced on Wednesday, July 16.
The victim, a 52-year-old man tentatively identified as “John Doe,” was traveling along North 8th Street just north of West Chew Street when he was struck by a vehicle, according to the coroner’s report. The impact ejected him onto the vehicle and then onto the roadway.
The crash occurred around 5:30 p.m. on Friday, July 4, near the intersection of North 8th and West Chew Streets in Allentown, Lehigh County. …
Allentown Teens Shooting AR-15 From Stolen Jeep Carjack Woman Near School: DA
Three teens are charged as adults after spraying bullets from a stolen Jeep with an AR-15-style pistol and carjacking a woman outside a middle school, Lehigh County District Attorney Gavin P. Holihan announced on Tuesday, June 24.
Marquee Bradley Carney, 15, of Allentown, Naseer Washington, 15, of Whitehall, and Amir Sims-Watson, 16, of Easton, are accused of carrying out a violent shooting spree and armed carjacking in Allentown on Saturday, Dec. 7, 2024.
All three are charged with:
Felony Aggravated Assault.
Felony Discharge of a Firearm Into an Occupied Structure.
Misdemeanor Simple As…
Toddler Left Unattended In Pool Float Drowns During July 4 Party In Allentown, Dad Sentenced:DA
A Pennsylvania father has been sentenced in connection with the drowning death of his 23-month-old son during a backyard pool party, authorities announced on Friday, May 23.
Rafael Cabrera, 40, of Allentown, pleaded no contest to Felony Involuntary Manslaughter for the 2022 death of his son, Aydeen Cabrera, the Lehigh County District Attorney’s Office said. Cabrera was sentenced to five years of probation by Judge James T. Anthony.
Allentown police were called to the family's home on the 500 block of North Fenwick Street around 6:20 p.m. on Monday, July 4, 202,2 for a report of a toddler fo…
Mugshot Released Of Florida Suspect In Pennsylvania After-Hours Club Murder (Update)
A Florida man accused of killing a woman and injuring two men at an after-hours club in Pennsylvania will face all charges in Lehigh County Court, authorities announced on Friday, May 9.
Alberto Jose Rios-Santiago, 26, of Deltona, Florida, is charged with felony criminal homicide, two counts of felony aggravated assault, and one count of misdemeanor possessing an instrument of crime, according to the Lehigh County District Attorney’s Office.
Following a preliminary hearing before District Judge Rashid Santiago on April 25, 2025, all charges were held for court, authorities said. Rios-Sant…
Allentown Football Player Killed Over Bag Of Chips, Teen Murderer Sentenced: DA
A teenager who shot and killed 15-year-old Treshawn Tracy over a bag of chips at an Allentown park has been sentenced to 50 years to life in state prison, authorities announced on Thursday, May 8.
Elijah Patterson, now 19, was convicted in March of First-Degree Murder, Firearms Not to be Carried Without a License, and Possession of a Firearm by a Minor, according to Lehigh County District Attorney Gavin Holihan.
Tracy, a William Allen High School sophomore and junior varsity football player, was gunned down at Stevens’ Park on Sunday, Sept. 25, 2022. He was pronounced dead at the scene with…
Child Abused By Mom's Live-In BF Lands NJ Man Decades In PA Prison: Lehigh DA
A New Jersey man who sexually abused a 13-year-old Pennsylvania girl while living with her mother in Lehigh County has been sentenced to decades in state prison, authorities announced on Monday, April 22.
Spartak A. Fedorovich, 38, of Phillipsburg, began sexually abusing the girl in Upper Saucon Township when she was 12, according to the Lehigh County District Attorney’s Office. At the time, he was living in the same household as the victim.
Police were dispatched to the home for a report of suspicious activity on Thursday, Oct. 13, 2022, and the girl later disclosed she had been in a sexua…
27-Year-Old PA Woman Dies After Scooter, Vehicle Collision In Allentown: Coroner
A 27-year-old woman from Wyomissing has died following a crash involving a motor scooter and a motor vehicle in Allentown, authorities said.
The incident happened around 6:08 p.m. on Saturday, April 19, in the 600 block of Union Boulevard, according to the Lehigh County Coroner’s Office.
The victim, identified as Marie D. Colon Rodriguez, was operating a motor scooter when it collided with a vehicle, officials said.
“Ms. Colon Rodriguez was pronounced dead on Monday, April 21, 2025 at 11:09 AM at Lehigh Valley Hospital, Muhlenberg,” the coroner’s office said.
Her cause of death was listed…
