A Pennsylvania man faces the death sentence after police say he purposely rammed his vehicle into a community fundraiser, killing one person and wounding 17 others, before fatally beating his mother.
According to Pennsylvania State Police, Adrian Oswaldo Sura Reyes, 24, drove into a gathering of around 75 people attending a benefit for the families of 10 persons who perished in a recent home fire on Saturday night.
In the collision, an anonymous 50-year-old lady was murdered and 17 others were wounded.
Authorities claim that Reyes then left the area, but was subsequently discovered murdering a second victim in neighboring Nescopeck. This lady has subsequently been recognized as Rosa Reyes, Reyes’s 56-year-old mother.
According to the papers, he smashed into the event because he was ‘frustrated’ with his mother after a discussion over financial matters, just before he murdered her.
Reyes was seen being brought into jail early Sunday morning, and he apologized as he was being carried to a police van, according to the Times Leader. He reportedly confessed to hitting his mother ‘four or five times’ with a hammer.
He is now being imprisoned without bail at the Columbia County Correctional Facility on two charges of murder.
On August 29, he is scheduled to return to court for a preliminary hearing. He might face the death sentence if convicted.
Geisinger Hospital confirmed to ABC News that it was caring for more than 15 victims of the incident at the event, including four in serious condition on Sunday.
Three other patients were sent to different hospitals, where they were either treated and discharged or were still being assessed.
According to records acquired by The Daily Beast, Reyes confirmed to authorities that he had struck his mother in the head with a hammer “four or five times.”
He apparently said that he was tired of arguing with her about money and other matters and ‘wanted to be done with it’
Reyes reportedly said that he had argued with his mother earlier that evening and was ‘very furious’ as he drove from his house in Nescopeck to her residence in Berwick.
Then, when he drove passed a restaurant named Intoxicology Department at around 6:15 p.m., he allegedly observed community members gathered in the parking lot, circled back and accelerated, according to the charge papers.
The restaurant held a one-day fundraiser for the families of those who perished in a fire earlier this month.
Six minutes later, police got a complaint about a second automobile collision in the adjacent community of Nescopeck, where a guy was using a hammer to attack a lady.
The police said that upon their arrival, they discovered the lady deceased and apprehended the suspect. This car matched the description of the one that had only seconds before crashed into a throng in Berwick. The Daily Beast claims that Reyes was previously jailed for another confrontation with his mother on December 26, 2020, when the two argued over a smartphone.
According to a report from the Berwick Police Department and court documents from the time, Reyes pulled the phone out of his mother’s hand and struck her in the face with it.
He pled guilty to assault and harassment and was sentenced to one year on probation, which ended just last month.
Officials now claim they have no basis to think Reyes is a suspect in the deadly fire on August 5 that killed ten persons and thirteen pets, the cause of which is still under investigation.
Sam Sanguedolce, the county’s district attorney, said that a preliminary investigation indicates that the fire began on the front porch at around 2:30 a.m.
Three individuals were able to escape the structure-destroying fire. The reason is still being investigated.
Nescopeck is a tiny community located on the Susquehanna River about 20 miles southwest of Wilkes-Barre.
Authorities said that when a volunteer fireman came to combat the flames, he discovered that the victims were members of his own family.
Harold Baker, a volunteer fireman in the town of Nescopeck, said that his son, daughter, father-in-law, brother-in-law, sister-in-law, three grandkids, and two other relatives were among the 10 casualties. He said that his two daughters and the other victims were enjoying swimming and other summer activities at their aunt and uncle’s house.
He said there were 13 dogs in the two-story residence, but he did not indicate if any survived.
“All I wanted to do was enter and reach my family,” she said. That was the only thing on my mind, getting in,’ Baker told the Associated Press.
Baker grabbed a hose and air pack and began spraying water on the blaze as he desperately attempted to enter the home and called out to his kid. Baker was brought back to the station by other firemen when his chief recognized whose residence it was.
Baker said that the first address provided for the call was a nearby residence. As the firetruck neared, he discovered that it was his family’s house. According to him, his unit was the first to arrive on the site, and the home was already engulfed in flames.
There was nothing we could have done to enter the building. We tried, but we couldn’t get in,’ said Baker, a 57-year-old fireman with 40 years of experience.
Dale Baker, his 19-year-old son, followed both of his parents into the fire department, entering at age 16. Dale was one of the victims of the fire.
Harold Baker said, “He stated throughout his whole childhood, that he was simply going to be like his father.”
Heidi Knorr, secretary of the Nescopeck Volunteer Fire Company, described Dale Baker as “such a joyful spirit.” He just loved life.
As state police began their investigation, the first two funerals for Ariana Trout, 7, and her 5-year-old brother Bradley Trout were conducted at a funeral home in Mansfield on Friday afternoon.
According to her obituary, Ariana liked learning about hair and cosmetics styling, while Bradley preferred spending time at the library and playing Pokemon GO. Thursday would have been his 6th birthday.
On Sunday and Monday, further funerals were set, including a combined ceremony for volunteer fireman Dale Baker, 19, and his 22-year-old sister, Star Baker.