3 charged in killing of 2 men during drug robbery in Reading

Nov. 1—City police Tuesday announced murder charges against three men in the fatal shooting of two other men with whom they arranged to meet on a dark, narrow northwest Reading street early this year to buy 5 pounds of marijuana.

The suspect had no intention of paying for the large quantity of drugs and planned to rob the victims at gunpoint when they arrived in a sedan in the 600 block of Miltimore Street about 11:30 p.m. on March 10, investigators said. The plan went awry when the passenger spotted two of the suspects — one holding a handgun and the other a shotgun — approaching from the rear of a vacant property, police said a witness told them.

Taurice Green, 37, and Marques Sudler, 24, both of Reading, died as a result of the shooting.

As a result of an investigation led by Reading Police Criminal Investigator Joseph Ring, FBI agents and detectives with the Berks County district attorney's office, charges were filed Monday against Emanuel Soto, 18, of Reading, and Jonathon Rodriguez, 20, and Darrian B. Kreitz, 24, both of Spring Township.

Soto of the 900 block of Gregg Avenue was taken into custody Monday by city police with the assistance of FBI agents. He was arraigned Monday night before District Judge Brian K. Strand in Reading Central Court and sent to Berks County Prison without bail to await a hearing on first-, second-, and third-degree murder, robbery and conspiracy charges.

Kreitz and Rodriguez were already in the county jail on unrelated charges when the homicide charges were filed Monday. Kreitz and Rodriguez were charged with second- and third-degree murder, robbery and conspiracy charges.

Investigators said Rodriguez, who hasn't been arraigned on the homicide charges, is associated with 54 Van Ness and Eastside Gang, which are connected to the Bloods gang.

Rodriguez of the 600 block of Grings Hill Road was arrested April 5 by a team of city and federal agents during a traffic stop in the Oakbrook area of the city on a warrant on attempted murder charges in a September 2021 drive-by shooting that investigators said targeted the southeast Reading home of a rival gang member's family. He was held for court following a May preliminary hearing before District Judge Carissa Johnson and is being held in lieu of $1 million bail on those charges awaiting further court action.

Kreitz of the 2100 block of Spring Street was arrested by Spring Township police on Sept. 22 on drug possession charges. He waived a preliminary hearing last week and was returned to the county jail in lieu of $2,500 bail. He was arraigned Monday before Johnson, who set bail at $1 million.

The March 10 killings happened about two blocks from another double-fatal shooting in which two teens were killed at a convenience store lot at Schuylkill Avenue and West Greenwich Street on Feb. 20.

It came during a spate of violence in Reading in late winter and early spring that saw seven people killed in five weeks.

According to investigators:

Police were called about 11:45 p.m. by residents who saw a male hanging out of a parked car on Miltimore Street near West Oley Street.

Investigators determined that Sudler, who was dead at the scene, died of at least one gunshot wound to the torso. Green also suffered gunshot wounds and was transported to the Reading Hospital trauma center, where he died a short time later.

Police obtained a search warrant for the sedan, which was registered to Sudler. They recovered a mobile phone on the floor in front of the driver's seat that belonged to Sudler.

Investigators examined the phone and found a Facebook Messenger conversation between Sudler and someone using the moniker "Loki Brody," later identified as Kreitz, whose middle name is Brody, on March 10 at 8:27 p.m.

The conversation continued until 11:33 p.m and referred to Sudler meeting Loki Brody for the same amount of about 5 pounds of marijuana.

Video footage from West Oley Street showed Sudler's car arriving on Miltimore at 11:33 p.m. when the shooting happened.

Investigators found on Rodriguez's Facebook page several references to an address in the 600 block of Gordon Street. Having reason to believe he used the property for his gang-related activities, they searched it about a week after the shooting.

They seized a cellphone that provided evidence related to the homicide investigation, including:

—A message sent from Rodriguez's phone on Feb. 25 referring to the same address provided to Sudler the night he was killed.

—An image of what appear to be the same firearms used in the killing. In one, Rodriguez has what appears to be a black pump-action sawed-off shotgun with a gold cross design above the grip.

—A message from a Gmail account associated with "Loki Brody."

Investigators learned Kreitz arranged to buy 5 pounds of marijuana from the victim but never intended to pay him for the drugs. Instead, the plan was for Rodriguez and Soto, who were lying in wait in a nearby garage, to sneak up while Kreitz engaged Sudler, then open the trunk and steal the marijuana.

Rodriguez was armed with a pistol with an extended magazine, and Soto was carrying a shotgun.

The plan went awry when Green, who was in the passenger seat, saw the two masked assailants approaching.

Rodriguez approached the driver's side and put the barrel of his gun against the window.

A short time later, video footage shows a flash from the muzzle of the shotgun held by Soto standing along the passenger side.

All three assailants are seen running away.