In relation to a home invasion in Pennsylvania earlier this month that left a 25-year-old man dead and his mother disabled after being shot several times, one of two suspects has been taken into custody.
The Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office said Thursday that Charles Fulforth, 41, of Jenkintown, was charged with second-degree murder, robbery, burglary, and other offenses in connection with the fatal home invasion that occurred in Lower Merion Township on December 8.
However, police are still looking for another guy, 42-year-old Philadelphia resident Kelvin Roberts, and are offering a $5,000 reward for information that could lead to his apprehension.
Around 2:20 a.m. on December 8, Lower Merion Police received their first call regarding a shooting at a home invasion.
Officers arrived to find 25-year-old Andrew Gaudio dead from numerous gunshot wounds and his 61-year-old mother, Bernadette Gaudio, also dead but conscious from several bullet wounds.
According to a news release from the DA, she told officers that she was asleep when a guy entered her bedroom and shot her. Her son was shot dead in front of her when he came in to assist her.
District Attorney Kevin R. Steele told reporters Thursday that Bernadette, unable to move, called authorities using Siri, the iPhone’s voice-activated virtual assistant.
Steele added, “I think indications are that the individuals were still in the house at the time, so it was a very brave move on her part to be able to use Siri to call 911.”
After being taken to a hospital, Bernadette had emergency surgery. After being paralyzed by the shooting, Steele stated on Thursday that she is recuperating and appears to be “getting a little bit of movement.”
Steele stated that a jewelry box was taken and discovered in one of the suspects’ residences, though it is unclear why the men targeted the Gaudio residence.
It was a terrible crime, and I can’t help but think about Bernadette’s recovery, what transpired in that bedroom, and what she witnessed happen to her kid,” Steele added.
How police honed in on the suspects
Police examined dashcam footage from a responding Lower Merion Township police car as part of the investigation. In it, a white Hyundai Azera was fleeing the murder scene when an officer drew up in front of it.
The car’s Pennsylvania registration tag, it found out, did not match the vehicle. After looking through Department of Transportation records, detectives were able to identify the car as belonging to a Philadelphia resident on Sansom Street.
The victim’s green Jeep Cherokee was also seen fleeing the scene on dashcam footage. Later, that vehicle was discovered on Sansom Street as well.
The driver of the white car was recognized as Kelvin Roberts by a member of the Sansom residence. Authorities are still looking for Roberts, who was charged with second-degree murder, robbery, and other connected felonies on December 9.
Detectives talked with a person on December 10th who said that Roberts had engaged in criminal activity with his supervisor at Willow Grove’s Junkluggers.
When detectives visited Junkluggers, Fulforth told them he was Robert’s direct supervisor.
A man who met Fulforth’s description was seen getting out of the victim’s Jeep Cherokee and entering the Sansom home with Roberts, according to CCTV footage reviewed from Samson Street.
The cellphones of Roberts and Fulforth were found at Samson Street at around 12 a.m. on December 8, and search warrants were acquired for them. Their phones began to move towards Lower Merion, the scene of the house invasion and homicide, at around 12:40 a.m., and they remained there until 2:45 a.m., at which point both phones began to return to Sansom Street, according to the news release.
According to the prosecutor, Fulforth’s phone was only in communication with Roberts during the minutes after the home invasion and murder, while both phones were communicating with one another.
Fulforth was detained Thursday morning after a second degree murder arrest warrant was secured for him on December 11. Whether he has hired a lawyer is not immediately apparent.
Steele stated that there is a chance that both men were involved in the murder, however investigators have not yet identified the two suspects who shot and murdered Gaudio, according to NBC Philadelphia.
Authorities warn that Roberts may be armed and dangerous, and residents are advised to phone 911 instead of approaching him.
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