DNA leads to arrest in 2013 Bucks County, Pa. murder cold case
After nearly 11 years, a suspect was arrested Wednesday in the carefully planned 2013 home invasion and murder of a Bucks County, Pa. man.
Thomas Delgado, 50, was charged with killing Joseph Canazaro, raping Canazaro’s girlfriend and stealing several items from their home in Hilltown Township, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported.
Delgado and another man, who police have not identified or detained, broke into the rented residence about 25 miles north of downtown Philadelphia on Jan. 18, 2013, according to police.
Canazaro’s girlfriend heard the men enter and grabbed a revolver, but retreated after realizing she was outgunned. The intruders held Canazaro, the woman and Canazaro’s son at knifepoint and tied them up. The boy was 12 years old at the time.
According to the woman’s account, the burglars demanded money from Canazaro and marched him through the home in search of it. While one of the men continued looking for valuable items, Delgado took the woman into a bathroom and raped her, according to investigators.
The attack ended with the woman and child tied up in the basement. The woman managed to free herself and the boy before searching the home for Canazaro. When she couldn’t find him and saw his truck was gone, she called the cops.
Officers responded to find the 48-year-old Canazaro stabbed to death in the home’s garage. His truck was seen later that day, and a man was caught on video loading items from the vehicle into a red Nissan sedan before driving away and leaving the truck behind.
The case remained cold for years until a 2019 evidence review, according to the Inquirer. Investigators discovered a face covering shoved between the vehicle’s seats. DNA from the mask and DNA from the woman’s rape kit matched Delgado, police said.
Investigators said Delgado and Canazaro had apparently known each other for years, the Inquirer reported. Cops said the two exchanged many cellphone calls throughout 2011.
At the time of his death, Canazaro owed millions of dollars to various creditors, including casinos, cops said.
In December, a warrant was issued for Delgado’s arrest, according to the Inquirer. U.S. Marshals tracked him down on Wednesday.
