Teen charged in Pennsylvania triple homicide linked to unsolved Rochester murder

Matthew Toth, Lebanon Daily News
·3 min read
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A teen charged as one of the alleged shooters in a triple homicide in Lebanon, Pennsylvania is a person of interest in the unsolved shooting death of a 12-year-old in Rochester, according to police reports.

James Fernandez-Reyes, 16, is a person of interest in the death of 12-year-old Juan Lopez in 2022. Fernandez-Reyes is currently charged as an adult with homicide for the deaths of Sebastian Perez-Salome, 9, Jesus Perez-Salome, 8, and Joshua Lugo-Perez, 19, for the shootings on May 30.

“Our Major Crimes Unit has been tirelessly investigating Lopez’s murder and is currently coordinating with law enforcement officials in Lebanon in hopes of furthering that investigation,” Rochester Police Lt. Greg Bello said in an email.

On Nov. 21, 2022, officers from the Rochester Police Department responded to Atkinson and Reynolds streets for multiple ShotSpotter activations. Once there, they found Lopez dead on the sidewalk from at least one gunshot wound to his upper body.

Lopez was a seventh-grader at the Benjamin Franklin Educational Campus on Norton Street. Officers discovered a 16-year-old boy with multiple gunshot wounds from the same incident two blocks east, who managed to recover from his injuries.

A memorial was set up on the front porch of where the shooting took place, June 1.
A memorial was set up on the front porch of where the shooting took place, June 1.

Fernandez-Reyes and Alex Torres-Santos, 22, were arrested Wednesday, May 31, after the Lebanon County SWAT team executed a search warrant in the 400 block of N. 9th St. Police are still seeking a third suspect they believe was involved in this shooting.

"At the time of his arrest for these heinous crimes in Pennsylvania, Fernandez-Reyes had an active warrant from Monroe County Family Court related to an arrest in the City of Rochester on September 20, 2022, in which he was issued an appearance ticket for being in possession of a loaded Kel-Tec .380 caliber handgun," Bello said.

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Torres-Santos and Fernandez-Reyes have been charged with three counts of criminal homicide, conspiracy to commit homicide, along with various gun-related offenses. Torres-Santos and Fernandez-Reyes also were charged with one count of aggravated assault for Louis Cancel, 33, of Lebanon, who was hit in the next-door residence by a stray bullet during the shooting.

Lebanon County District Attorney Pier Hess Graf said Friday she will be seeking the death penalty in Torres-Santos' case.

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Police located multiple .223 rifle rounds and 9mm shell casings that showed at least 27 gunshots fired at the North 5th Street home Tuesday. Officials said these shots came from two different caliber firearms.

A search of Torres-Santos' and Fernandez-Reyes' residence Wednesday revealed multiple firearms, including an AR-15 and a secondary weapon, which officials said was consistent with the shell casings located at the scene.

Torres-Santos and Fernandez-Reyes are being held without bail at the Lebanon County Correctional Facility. A third suspect in the case was being sought by police as of Friday afternoon.

Matthew Toth is a reporter for the Lebanon Daily News. Reach him at mtoth@ldnews.com or on Twitter at @DAMattToth.

This article originally appeared on Lebanon Daily News: James Fernandez-Reyes charged in Pennsylvania triple homicide