Criminal Justice

Take a look at stories that ran throughout the week of which we are most proud, had a profound impact on readers or that you might want to look at again.

WLVR's Megan Frank talks with reporters Tom Shortell and Julian Abraham.

Allentown City Council on Wednesday moved a step closer to launching an investigation into claims of racism and discrimination at City Hall.

Online listings show Synergy Hookah Lounge is permanently closed, and a “For Rent” sign could be seen Tuesday at the property, where a 29-year-old man was stabbed and killed.

Northampton County District Attorney Terry Houck announced police have charged John Bradley, 17, of North Whitehall Township, with two counts of homicide and car theft in relation to Thursday's double-homicide in North Catasauqua.

Pennsylvania State Police and the Northampton County District Attorney's Office have scheduled a news conference for 2:30 p.m. Tuesday regarding a double-homicide investigation in North Catasauqua.

Rosalyn Glass, 39, and Rianna Glass, 16, died of "sharp force injuries" Sept. 14 inside Rosalyn's home in North Catasauqua, according to authorities. Northampton County Coroner Zachary Lysek ruled the cases homicides, but investigators say the public is not in danger.

Pennsylvania State Police continue to investigate last week's double homicide in North Catasauqua. A search warrant filed in district court revealed new details in the investigation.

Nine juveniles who escaped from a detention center in Berks County and were at large for less than a day have been captured, state police said Monday.

Sammy Sasso was shot in a carjacking last month near Ohio State University. “Every donation, message, and positive thought has made a difference in Sammy's spirits and his path toward recovery,” his family says.

Judge Steven Hippler ordered Bryan Kohberger to serve life in prison without parole for killing four University of Idaho students. Friends and relatives delivered powerful statements of love, anguish and condemnation at the sentencing hearing Wednesday.

Allentown police allege Adam Makowka, 27, used a fire escape to enter Jerkera Battle's apartment and shot her to death with an AR-15. Makowka also is charged with trying to kill another man in the apartment.

Tamir Johnson, 35, got out of his car and swung a bat, hitting the other driver’s door. That driver fired one shot that struck Johnson, authorities said.

Jorge Suarez-Santiago, 33, was sentenced to 5-to-15 years in prison in the drug-induced death of his 22-month-old son.

A man whose body was found in a field near Salisbury Elementary School on Friday morning has been identified.

ICE has confirmed the arrest of a suspected murderer from Honduras, Yobani Bonilla-Bonilla, aka, Gilberto Perez-Alvarado, in Easton in June 2025.

Police are investigating after a 37-year-old man was found dead on the 1400 block of Gaskill Avenue in Salisbury Township.

Sammy Sasso, a former Nazareth Area High School state wrestling champion, is charged with possessing unlicensed guns and a controlled substance after police said they stopped the car he was driving because of an expired registration.

Witness said Jose Vladimir Jerez, 24, of Allentown, was driving erratically while trying to pass another car when he crashed his car into a utility pole in October. A 20-year-old passenger, Ezequiel Hernandez-Cartagena, died less than 90 minutes later.

A former Easton Area High School resource officer who pleaded guilty to sending a sexually explicit image of himself to a 16-year-old female student in 2024 was sentenced to 9-to-24 months in Northampton County Prison, it was announced on Wednesday.

Said Bethlehem Police Chief Michelle Kott, “It’s not used for enforcement. It’s just a means, similar to the news media, of being able to bring up that camera and check the traffic conditions, or if there's an accident, it could be utilized for investigative purposes.”

Angel Martinez-Velez, 25, of Allentown, was shot and killed June 1, 2024, on the basketball court at Allentown's Fountain Park.