Crime and Fire

Shooting Death Ruled Suicide in Lower Macungie [UPDATE]

Lehigh County coroner says the manner of a death at a Brookstone Drive home was a suicide.

Monday morning's death in Lower Macungie Township at the location of a reported shooting fatality has been ruled a suicide, according to the Lehigh County coroner. Coroner Scott Grim said Monday evening that a 32-year-old woman from Drexel Hill, Delaware County, was pronounced dead in an incident at 1698 Brookstone Drive. He ruled  the manner of death a suicide, but declined to offer further details. Earlier in the day, state police Lt. Paul Gaspich confirmed that a shooting death had occurred at the residence. Yellow police tape outlined a police investigation perimeter at the townhome in the Heritage Heights development. A report released Tuesday morning by state police at Fogelsville estimated the time of the suicide between 8:45 and 9:…

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Suicide by Hammer Ruled in Man's Bizarre Death

A Williams Township man died as a result of self-inflicted hammer blows to his head, officials have determined

Michael Muretta struggled for years with mental illness. His struggle reached a horrific end last August when the 47-year-old Williams Township man struck himself in the head with a hammer, causing fatal injuries. That was the conclusion reached by investigators looking into Muretta's death, Northampton County District Attorney John Morganelli said Thursday. At a news conference at his office, Morganelli told reporters that Muretta's history --combined with physical evidence at his home and no evidence of anyone who wished him harm -- will lead the coroner to rule his death a suicide. It's not clear whether Murettta intended to kill himself. The hammer blows may have been a response to the symptoms of the schizophrenia Muretta suffered …

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Armed Citizen

8:45 pm on Sunday, January 20, 2013

According to the article, it's the guy who stabbed his neighbor back in '86 but was deemed insane. Very bizarre all around.   more ›

Suicide Victim Found by Family

Police searched Alburtis and southwest corner of Lower Macungie Township on foot and by helicopter Wednesday trying to find missing man.

Shoplifter, 23, Commits Suicide in Jail After Multiple Arrests

A shoplifter hanged himself in county jail after allegedly stealing from both Palmer Park Mall and Lehigh Valley Mall.

About 10 days before he killed himself in a Lehigh County Prison cell Monday, a 23-year-old former Tatamy resident was charged in a shoplifting incident at Palmer Park Mall for which he was not jailed. But Justin Lee Bowyer was sent to Lehigh County Prison after a Nov. 9 (Friday) shoplifting incident at JC Penney in Lehigh Valley Mall, according to The Morning Call. That incident was his third retail theft arrest, The Call said. The Call story lists Bowyer’s address as 537 N. Fountain St., Allentown, which is near 9th and Allen streets. The criminal complaint for Bowyer’s Palmer Park Mall arrest on Nov. 2 lists his address as 627 Broad St., Tatamy. The complaint also states the incident was his second retail theft offense. In the Palmer …

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Scanner: Upper Macungie Man Hangs Self

Police scanner says man found hanging from tree on Fugazaotto Drive.

Police scanner reports say an unidentified Upper Macungie Township man was found hanging from a tree early Friday evening, the victim of an apparent suicide. Police and emergency crews responding to scene declined to give information concerning the man's identity and were awaiting the arrival of the Lehigh County coroner. 

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