Results 1 to 5 of 5

Thread: Death Penalty Pursued for Alex Torres-Santos and Ivan Claudio Rosero in 2023 PA Triple Murder

  1. #1
    Moderator Bobsicles's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2019
    Location
    Tennessee
    Posts
    7,316

    Death Penalty Pursued for Alex Torres-Santos and Ivan Claudio Rosero in 2023 PA Triple Murder


    Jesus Perez-Salome


    Joshua Perez-Salome


    Joshua Lugo-Perez


    Ivan Claudio Rosero, left, and Tiffany Koziara, right


    Alex Torres-Santos

    Two arrested in triple murder of children and teenager; third suspect at large

    One captured defendant was on house arrest for earlier weapons charges at time of killings

    by Chris Coyle

    Two suspects have been arrested and charged with criminal homicide in the Tuesday evening triple murder of two children and a teenager on Lebanon’s north side, and a third suspect remained at large as of Thursday morning.

    The dead are 8-year-old Jesus Perez-Salome, his 9-year-old brother, Sebastian Perez-Salome, and 19-year-old Joshua Lugo-Perez.

    A fourth victim, 33-year-old Luis Cancel, was injured in the shootings. At last word, he remained hospitalized.

    The killings occurred at 444 N. 5th St. in the city.

    Lebanon County District Attorney Pier Hess Graf identified the defendants as 22-year-old Alex Torres-Santos and James Fernandez-Reyes, a 16-year-old juvenile who is being charged as an adult.

    Both were arrested without incident and are incarcerated on criminal homicide charges at the Lebanon County Correctional Facility, without bail.

    Each will be charged with three counts of general criminal homicide, three counts of criminal conspiracy to commit homicide, and one count of aggravated assault.

    Hess Graf said Thursday morning that an unidentified male was a third suspect, and was still at large.

    More details emerge

    Appearing at a Thursday morning press conference called by Lebanon Mayor Sherry Capello, Hess Graf said she expects that the general homicide charges will change after she decides whether to seek the death penalty against any of the defendants, once the investigation is complete.

    Hess Graf said Jesus died on his back porch, Sebastian died in a Dauphin County hospital, and Lugo-Perez died in a Lebanon County hospital.

    Cancel, the injured victim, was a neighbor who City Police Chief Bret Fisher said was “hit in the next-door residence by what appeared to be a stray, untargeted bullet.”

    Fisher said Thursday morning that law enforcement agents executed a search warrant at 434 N. 9th St. after the shootings, where the two defendants were located, and that both fled. One was apprehended immediately; the other was found shortly later in a nearby building and taken into custody.

    Fisher said the search of the N. 9th Street property uncovered “two firearms believed to be involved in the incident.”

    Police and the DA had earlier said that 27 rounds were believed to have been fired at the scene, and that at least one of the weapons used was an AR-15 style assault rifle consistent with shell casings found on scene.

    DA questions bail reduction on earlier charges, but did not appeal

    Court records show that Torres-Santos was charged on Feb. 9 in separate prosecutions with serious crimes, including two counts of felony aggravated assault with a deadly weapon causing or attempting to cause bodily harm.

    According to a media release from the District Attorney’s office, Torres-Santos was on house arrest for his February charges, with an ankle monitor, when Tuesday’s triple murders occurred.

    Court records indicate that Torres-Santos’ bail on the February charges was originally set at $100,000 by Magisterial District Judge Aurelis Figueroa. On Feb. 23, Judge Figueroa reduced bail to $50,000, which was posted that day through a bond agency, and Torres-Santos was released from custody.

    In her media release, Hess Graf was critical of Figueroa’s February bail reduction, saying that “during his Preliminary Hearings on the prior offenses, the District Attorney’s Office requested bail remain the same on each case. Over objection, Magisterial Judge Aurelis Figueroa of Lebanon City lowered bail to $50,000.00.”

    Hess Graf added that “the location monitor and minimal bail imposed by [Figueroa] thus served as no deterrent to a violent criminal willing to take a life.”

    Hess Graf could have appealed Figueroa’s $50,000 bail reduction to the Lebanon County Court of Common Pleas at any time after Feb. 23, if she believed the reduced bail was inadequate to protect public safety or to keep Torres-Santos from fleeing. However, court records contain no indication that she ever did.

    Reached by telephone on the morning of June 1, Hess Graf confirmed that her office had never appealed Torres-Santos’ bail reduction to $50,000 at any time after Figueroa set it.

    A call to Figueroa’s office on Thursday morning had not received a reply as of publication time.

    What happens next?

    Court records show that a criminal complaint was filed against Torres-Santos overnight, charging him with three counts of criminal homicide, three counts of conspiracy to commit criminal homicide, as well as a handful of other felonies and firearms and drug-related charges. He was preliminarily arraigned by Magisterial District Judge Carl Garver.

    Fernandez-Reyes was also charged with three counts of criminal homicide, three counts of conspiracy to commit criminal homicide, and several other felonies.

    Both defendants are entitled to preliminary hearings before a Magisterial District Judge, at which the DA will have to show, on the face of the evidence, that a crime was committed and that the defendants probably did it.

    The prosecution’s burden of proof at a preliminary hearing is lower than the “beyond a reasonable doubt” standard that is required at trial. Guilt or innocence is not determined at preliminary hearings.

    Torres-Santos’ preliminary hearing is currently scheduled for June 15 in front of Figueroa. Fernandez-Reyes was also arraigned last night in front of Judge Garver, and has a preliminary hearing scheduled for June 8 in front of Figueroa.

    https://lebtown.com/2023/06/01/two-a...pect-at-large/
    Thank you for the adventure - Axol

    Tried so hard and got so far, but in the end it doesn’t even matter - Linkin Park

    Hear me, my chiefs! I am tired. My heart is sick and sad. From where the sun now stands, I will fight no more forever. - Hin-mah-too-yah-lat-kekt

    I’m going to the ghost McDonalds - Garcello

  2. #2
    Moderator Bobsicles's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2019
    Location
    Tennessee
    Posts
    7,316
    Lebanon County DA to seek death penalty in triple homicide case

    George Stockburger

    LEBANON, Pa. (WHTM) – Lebanon County District Attorney Pier Hess Graf says her office has filed a Notice of Aggravated Circumstances and will seek the death penalty against Alex Torres Santos after two young children and a 19-year-old were fatally shot on Tuesday.

    The District Attorney’s Office says the decision was made due to the age of the victims and the risk posed to others in the area.

    “In my fourteen years as a Lebanon County prosecutor and in my nearly four years as the District
    Attorney, we have not filed a Death Penalty Notice in any case,” District Attorney Pier Hess Graf
    stated. “No other murder committed during my time as the D.A. has risen to the specific legal
    standard necessary to seek death for the killer. This case meets that standard.”

    Torres-Santos has been charged with criminal homicide, conspiracy to commit criminal homicide, aggravated assault, carrying a firearm without a license, and possessing cocaine.

    A potential death penalty case would involve two trial phases: one where a jury would determine whether the defendant is guilty of the crimes charges and a second phase for sentencing to determine whether the death penalty is justified.

    Earlier this year Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro announced he would not sign any execution warrants and called for the death penalty to be abolished.

    “The Commonwealth shouldn’t be in the business of putting people to death. Period,” Shapiro said. “I believe that in my heart. This is a fundamental statement of morality. Of what’s right and wrong.”

    Twenty-three states and Washington D.C. have abolished the death penalty. Since 1976 only three people have been executed in Pennsylvania and more than 100 people remain on death row in the state.

    District Attorney Graf noted that, “Many remain critical of the death penalty in today’s world. The
    process is lengthy and costly. To those who second guess today’s decision, we did not make it
    easily nor did we take the decision lightly. There are some crimes–crimes like this one where
    young children were shot to death outside of their home as they innocently played with their
    kittens–that demand we charge accordingly.”

    The district attorney’s office did not say whether they would seek a similar penalty against other suspects in the case. James Fernandez-Reyes, 16, is also facing charges including criminal homicide and a third unknown person remains at large.

    According to police, officers were called to the 400 block of N. 5th Street on Tuesday, May 30, and found multiple gunshot victims on the rear porch.

    The police department, in conjunction with the Lebanon County Coroner’s Office and District Attorney’s office, identified the victims as 8-year-old Jesus Perez-Salome, 9-year-old Sebastian Perez-Salome, and 19-year-old Joshua Lugo-Perez. Lugo-Perez was not related to the eight and nine-year-old victims but lived in the same home.

    A fourth person, a next-door neighbor, was also injured by a stray bullet. Police found 27 shell casings from two different firearms.

    “These shootings are unacceptable. As a mom, I cannot overstate how heartbroken I am for the families,” Lebanon Mayor Sherry Capello said Wednesday.

    DA Graf says Torres-Santos was on house arrest for several separate firearm and drug charges and was wearing an ankle monitor at the time of the shooting, citing GPS records from the device. Police also observed video in the area showing a white vehicle and three people fleeing from it.

    On Wednesday, May 31, a Lebanon County SWAT team served a search warrant on Torres-Santos’ apartment. Torres-Santos and Fernandez-Reyes ran from the apartment; shortly after, police arrested Torres-Santos.

    When police searched the residence, police found an AR-15 rifle police say is consistent with the shell casings found at the scene of the homicides, according to a release from the DA’s office. Police also found a rifle with a duffle bag with magazines filled with .223 ammunition and a small Nike bag containing drug paraphernalia, a scale, and a wallet with ID belonging to Torres-Santos.

    According to court records, Fernandez-Reyes was found hiding in an apartment on the 400 block of N. 9th Street.

    The DA’s office alleges that Torres-Santos and Fernandez-Reyes committed the homicides together and that Torres-Santos provided the two firearms used in the shootings before they left the scene with the weapons.

    The DA’s office also claims that Torres-Santos’ criminal record shows that he is currently out on bail for two separate incidents that both involve “dangerous behavior with firearms” as well as possession of crack cocaine with intent to deliver.

    The DA’s office says Torres-Santos’ bail for his previous charges was originally set at $100,000 but was later lowered by a judge to $50,000. Court records also allege Torres-Santos was a suspect in a January 17 shooting and a February 7 shooting involving the same victim that also involved a juvenile who allegedly accompanied Torres-Santos.

    The Lebanon City Police Department, the Lebanon County District Attorney’s Office and Detective Bureau, the Pennsylvania State Police, and other Lebanon County Police Departments assisted in the investigation.

    https://www.abc27.com/local-news/leb...cide-case/amp/
    Thank you for the adventure - Axol

    Tried so hard and got so far, but in the end it doesn’t even matter - Linkin Park

    Hear me, my chiefs! I am tired. My heart is sick and sad. From where the sun now stands, I will fight no more forever. - Hin-mah-too-yah-lat-kekt

    I’m going to the ghost McDonalds - Garcello

  3. #3
    Administrator Helen's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2013
    Location
    Toronto, Ontario, Canada
    Posts
    20,875
    Is it true this guy wore his ankle monitor when he did these murders?
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

  4. #4
    Moderator Bobsicles's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2019
    Location
    Tennessee
    Posts
    7,316
    Quote Originally Posted by Helen View Post
    Is it true this guy wore his ankle monitor when he did these murders?
    Yes according to other news articles I’ve read
    Thank you for the adventure - Axol

    Tried so hard and got so far, but in the end it doesn’t even matter - Linkin Park

    Hear me, my chiefs! I am tired. My heart is sick and sad. From where the sun now stands, I will fight no more forever. - Hin-mah-too-yah-lat-kekt

    I’m going to the ghost McDonalds - Garcello

  5. #5
    Administrator Helen's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2013
    Location
    Toronto, Ontario, Canada
    Posts
    20,875
    Third suspect arrested for triple murder; DA seeks death penalty; fourth person faces hindering apprehension charge

    By Davis Shaver
    Lebtown

    Two more individuals have been arrested in conjunction with the Tuesday, May 30, triple murder that took place in Lebanon city.

    The Lebanon County District Attorney’s office announced Wednesday morning, June 7, that 27-year-old Ivan Claudio Rosero has been arrested and charged with multiple counts of homicide, conspiracy, and firearm offenses. The DA’s office said it has filed a Notice of Aggravating Circumstances against Rosero and intends to seek the death penalty.

    Previously, Lebanon County District Attorney Pier Hess Graf said she would seek the death penalty against 22-year-old Alex Torres-Santos, one of two individuals arrested last week for their role in the killing of 8-year-old Jesus Perez-Salome, his 9-year-old brother, Sebastian Perez-Salome, and 19-year-old Joshua Lugo-Perez. Also arrested last week was 16-year-old James Fernandez-Reyes, who is not eligible for the death penalty as a juvenile.

    Police have also charged Rosero’s girlfriend, 34-year-old Tiffany Koziara, with hindering the apprehension of a fugitive.

    Rosero’s arrest follows “an intense, weeklong manhunt” for the third shooter, according to a press release. The investigation apparently hinged around video footage of a white vehicle parking near the location of the shooting on Tuesday night. The video showed three people exiting the vehicle and walking west and out of frame before running back to the vehicle moments after the shooting and fleeing the area. The presence of the white vehicle was noted in the affidavits of probable cause last week, but investigators had not shared any further information about the vehicle or the third subject until today’s announcement.

    Charges against Rosero do not appear to have yet been filed.

    According to court documents, Koziara was arraigned early Wednesday morning in front of Magisterial District Judge John Ditzler and remanded to Lebanon County Correctional Facility in lieu of bail, set at $225,000. Koziara faces a third-degree felony charge of hindering apprehension or prosecution.

    According to the release, investigators were able to link the white vehicle – now identified as a white BMW – to 34 Cumberland Street, the residence of Koziara. A search warrant was executed at the residence, and investigators learned that Koziara had lent the vehicle to Rosero prior to the homicides, after which he had fled the area, still in possession of the vehicle.

    The District Attorney’s office said in the release that a statewide, multi-agency manhunt was then initiated for Rosero and the white BMW. Rosero was located by U.S. Marshalls in the late evening hours on Tuesday, June 6, at Pennypack Park in Philadelphia, where he was taken into custody without incident. The release says Rosero had possession of the keys to the white BMW when he was arrested, and the vehicle was also located nearby at the time.

    According to the release, following his arrest, Rosero admitted to his involvement in the shooting when questioned by detectives. The DA’s office said Rosero admitted he possessed a gun and fired multiple rounds during the homicide.

    Koziara faces charges over allegedly providing false information to investigators regarding her contact with Rosero on June 3 and booking a hotel room for herself and Rosero the same weekend as the search warrant, the DA’s office said.

    DA Hess Graf said over the past week, Lebanon city detectives, the Lebanon County Detective Bureau, and the DA’s office have not stopped in their quest to locate and arrest all three shooters.

    “When children are killed, when a community is yet again endangered due to senseless gun violence, justice demands every ounce of effort possible,” said Hess Graf.

    Hess Graf thanked the Lebanon City Police Department and the Lebanon County Detective Bureau for their work in this case.

    “To have three shooters identified and in custody all within a week is a true testament to the caliber of men each of our Detectives is,” said Hess Graf in a press release. “We are grateful to the State Police and Marshalls for their assistance in locating and arresting Rosero – through their efforts, our community is safer.”

    Hess Graf said her office will now shift its focus from arrest to trial preparation, and their work in this case has just begun.

    “I promise my office and the police will do everything in its power to hold the killers accountable.”

    https://lebtown.com/2023/06/07/polic...triple-murder/
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •