NEPA True Crime

Cases from Northeastern Pennsylvania

Category: 2020s Cases

  • Justice for Jessica Lockwood – homicide suspect caught after 10 days – What was the motive?

    Justice for Jessica Lockwood – homicide suspect caught after 10 days – What was the motive?

    Homicide victim Jessica Lockwood, age 39

    Updates

    June 02, 2025: As of today, Terence Leroy Ray has a preliminary hearing scheduled for Friday, June 6, 2025, at the Luzerne County Courthouse. At a preliminary hearing, the judge decides if there’s enough evidence for a case to go to trial. It is not about determining guilt or innocence. But given all the evidence in this case, I think the odds are high that Ray will waive his preliminary hearing. [I’m not a legal expert, but waiving this hearing is common when there is an abundance of evidence against a defendent.] View the Terence Leroy Ray docket here.

    May 19, 2025: Terence Leroy Ray is returning to Luzerne County today, to face charges of criminal homicide, abuse of corpse and tampering with evidence. He’ll be jailed without bail at the Luzerne County Correctional Facility. 1 2 I wonder if we’ll get any clarity on how this apparently minor drug deal went so horrifically wrong, leaving a 39-year-old mother dead, and a 55-year-old grandfather facing the rest of his life in prison.

    💚 GoFundMe for Jessica Lockwood’s children – Donate here

    May 11, 2025: A benefit is set for July 11, 2025, at the Harwood Fire Company, where Jessica was a firefighter and trustee. The day will feature live music along with food trucks and local vendors. Attendees can also try their luck at Tricky Trays, generously donated by supporters, businesses, and members of the community. Benefit organizers are currently seeking more local businesses to donate to the fundraiser.

    Jess went beyond for anything that was asked of her. She was dedicated to a life of selflessness, compassion, & charity. She will be greatly missed & fondly remembered by all the lives she touched. – Harwood Fire Company

    Also, Lockwood’s 11-year-old daughter, Isabella, recently spoke with Andy Mehalshik of 28/22 News (video below). 3

    May 8, 2025: Terence Leroy Ray, a suspect in the homicide of Jessica (Paul) Lockwood, was apprehended at 5:45 a.m. the morning of May 8th, in Westchester County, New York, without incident. He was tracked to the Hilltop Inn & Suites on Tuckahoe Road in Yonkers. The arrest was made by the U.S. Marshals Service and the Pennsylvania State Police Fugitive Apprehension Unit.

    Ray is currently held in the Westchester County Jail, where he’s awaiting extradition back to Luzerne County. 4

    Luzerne County D.A. Sam Sanguedolce said investigators think they know the motive behind Ray’s actions.

    “We have a theory we are not prepared to make public yet,” Sanguedolce said. 5

    Case Status

    Commonwealth of Pennsylvania v. Terence Leroy Ray (current as ofJune 02, 2025)

    Preliminary Hearing Scheduled for June 6, 2025 at Luzerne County Courthouse
    Bail Status Denied – Defendant remains in custody
    Defendant Name Terence Leroy Ray
    Date of Birth 1969
    Residence Hazleton, PA 18201
    Criminal Complaint Issued April 29, 2025
    Offense Date April 27, 2025
    Arrest Date May 8, 2025
    Current Stage Awaiting Extradition
    Incarceration Location Westchester County Jail, New York
    Charges
    • Criminal Homicide (18 § 2501 §§ A) – Felony H1
    • Abuse of Corpse (18 § 5510) – Misdemeanor 2
    • Tampering with Physical Evidence (18 § 4910 §§ 1) – Misdemeanor 2
    Judge Assigned Magisterial District Judge James M. Dixon
    Arresting Officer Officer Brett A. Naprava (Hazleton City Police)
    Prosecutor Luzerne County District Attorney’s Office
    Public Defender No record on file as of June 02, 2025
    Source: Magisterial District Court Docket No. MJ-11304-CR-0000153-2025, Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania, accessed June 02, 2025.

    💚 GoFundMe for Jessica Lockwood’s children – Donate here

    What happened to Jessica Lockwood?

    On the morning of April 27, 2025, at about 7:00 a.m., the Hazleton City Fire Department responded to a report of a mannequin on fire on Club 40 Road near East Broad Street in Hazleton, Pennsylvania. They arrived at the scene to discover a human body wrapped in a tarp and set on fire. The unclothed victim was identified as 39-year-old Jessica Ann Lockwood, a dedicated volunteer firefighter, ambulance technician, and married mother of two from Frackville.

    Jessica Lockwood had been reported missing the previous day after failing to pick up her son. With the help of her family, authorities tracked her cell phone and discovered it abandoned along Route 424.

    Investigators reviewed the phone and found a series of text messages between Lockwood and a contact saved as “Og,” later identified as Terence Leroy Ray, age 55. Lockwood’s final message, sent at 2:33 p.m. on April 26 to “Og”, read, “Here. I have to get my son.”

    Police interviewed Lockwood’s incarcerated husband, James Lockwood, who told them he knew “Og” to be a pill dealer.

    James is serving a one-year prison sentence for firing a gun at a group of teenagers trespassing near the Harwood Volunteer Fire Company in Hazle Township, where both he and his wife had been active members. He started his prison sentence on April 10, just a few weeks before the murder.

    During the interview, James Lockwood told investigators his wife had been buying painkillers from “Og.” Before he was locked up, James always accompanied her to the drug buys, which took place in an alley behind Ray’s home. He said Lockwood got addicted to pain meds after dealing with chronic pain due to extensive neck surgeries.

    Ray has a prescription for Percocet, according to the affidavit of probable cause.

    Terrence Leroy Ray, age 55. The armed and dangerous suspect was on the run for 10 days.

    James Lockwood called Ray from the correctional facility and asked him if he knew where Lockwood was. Ray told him Jessica never showed up at his place, and he didn’t know where she was.

    Evidence found in Hazleton burning body case

    The day the body was discovered, authorities searched Ray’s side of the double-block residence at 137 Muir Avenue in Hazleton. The search revealed:

    • a pool of dried blood in the basement
    • blonde hair matching Lockwood’s
    • a single gold-plated diamond earring matching one Lockwood was wearing
    • blood-soaked trash bags and paper towels
    • blood on a red handcart and a piece of rope
    • a torn pillowcase consistent with fabric used to wrap Lockwood’s legs
    • two live 9mm rounds
    • an empty gun case
    • ownership papers for a 9mm Ruger handgun

    Surveillance footage captured Ray moving Lockwood’s vehicle from his residence to a location a block away. Additionally, a license plate reader recorded Ray’s dark blue Ford Explorer entering and exiting Club 40 Road around the time of the body’s discovery.

    An autopsy conducted by forensic pathologist Dr. Charles Siebert determined Lockwood died from a gunshot to the upper right chest and blunt force trauma leading to broken ribs, a shattered clavicle, and head trauma.

    The manner of death was ruled a homicide by Luzerne County Acting Coroner Kaitlin Keating.

    Map showing Ray’s House and Club 40 Road in Hazleton, PA—key locations in the Jessica Lockwood homicide case.
    Map showing Ray’s house and Club 40 Road in Hazleton, PA — key locations in the Jessica Lockwood homicide case.

    Warrant issued for Terrence Leroy Ray – Jessica Lockwood homicide

    On April 29, 2025, a criminal complaint was filed under seal, charging Terrence Ray with criminal homicide, abuse of a corpse, and tampering with evidence. The complaint was unsealed on May 5, 2025, during a press conference by Luzerne County District Attorney Sam Sanguedolce.

    Sanguedolce stated that investigators think they’ve uncovered the motive behind Ray’s actions.

    “We have a theory we are not prepared to make public yet,” Sanguedolce said.

    Authorities believe Ray fled Luzerne County immediately after the Jessica Lockwood homicide and is currently at large. He left his dark blue Ford Explorer at his home on Muir Ave. He possibly has connections in the Bronx.

    The Hazleton Standard Speaker reports that Ray’s daughter alleged in a 2022 PFA filing that he assaulted her and made threats involving a firearm inside the same residence where Lockwood was killed.

    “Dad climbed through my apartment window, punched me, attacked my daughter, and damaged property in home. Was arrested and released today,” she wrote in the PFA filing.

    Ray is described as weighing about 240 pounds and is 6’1″ tall. He is considered armed and dangerous. If you see him, do not approach. Call 911.

    How you can help

    💚 A GoFundMe campaign established to support Jessica Lockwood’s children has raised over $21,000 as of May 7, 2025 – Donate here

    🕯️ A Celebration of Life is scheduled for May 13, 2025, from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at Harman Funeral Homes & Crematory Inc. in Drums, Pennsylvania.

    🎟️ Benefit for Jessica Lockwood’s family July 11, 2025: To be held at Harwood Fire Company, where Jessica served as a firefighter and trustee. Live music, food trucks, local vendors, and raffle trays donated by the community. Organizers are still seeking local business donations.

    📞 Submit a Tip

    If you have any information regarding this case, please contact the Hazleton City Police Department.

    📰 Local News Coverage

  • Debra Fox’s Mysterious Death: Was it Murder?

    Debra Fox’s Mysterious Death: Was it Murder?

    Photo of Debra Fox, a 69-year-old woman from Wilkes-Barre, whose remains were discovered in 2024.

    The five individuals arrested for the horrific kidnapping, torture and murder of Michigan mother Nicole Cuevas waived their right to a preliminary hearing this week.

    That’s no surprise. The purpose of a preliminary hearing is to determine if there’s enough evidence to bring a defendant to trial. The eyewitness and forensic evidence against them has got to be overwhelming.

    Is Debra Fox Confirmed Murdered?

    The last report I’ve seen into the manner and cause of death of Debra Fox, the woman who owned the home at 142 Carlisle Street where where Nicole Cuevas was tortured and murdered, is that her cause and manner of death are both “undetermined.”

    Her body was found on March 26, 2024, at the bottom of a steep embankment behind a budget hotel. She’d been staying there with at least one of the murder suspects after she lost her home to unpaid property taxes. (That home had been in her family since the 1940s, per Luzerne County Recorder of Deeds.)

    But a recent news report from PAHomepage states that Debra Fox was murdered.

    It says, “The longtime owner of the home, 69-year-old Debra Fox, was also murdered.” and “If you have any information about the murder of Debra Fox, contact Wilkes-Barre Police.”

    Did that news outlet jump to that conclusion, or do they have access to some new (or inside) information? While it’s not exactly a giant leap to assume Debra Fox didn’t trip and fall down that embankment but was a victim of foul play, news outlets typically stick to the documented facts.

    I can’t find any news reports that state Debra Fox’s death certificate has been amended to show the manner of death as homicide. And I haven’t had a chance to request a copy of the coroner’s report to see for myself if there is a change.

    The Citizens Voice reported on 1/31/2025 that Debra Fox’s cause and manner of death are undetermined.

    The Times Leader didn’t specify homicide, either.

    If you know anything about the death of Debra Fox, contact the Wilkes-Barre Police Department. You can call anonymously by phone at 570.208.4200, Extension 4, by sending the  Wilkes-Barre Police Department Facebook Page a private message, or using the form at the WBPD website.

  • Hometown Service Held for Nicole Cuevas; New Court Date for Suspects

    Hometown Service Held for Nicole Cuevas; New Court Date for Suspects

    The family of homicide victim Nicole Cuevas held a service today at St. Mary’s Cathedral Church in Saginaw, Michigan, according to a Facebook post by Nicole’s brother Paris Scroggins. Nicole’s obituary reads, “Nicole loved to read. Nicole truly loved being with her children and her family and friends. She loved visiting, chatting, and helping family and friends whenever needed.”

    Court Date Moved for Suspects

    All five suspects in the brutal kidnapping, torture, and murder of Nicole Cuevas are locked up in county jails without bail (Jason Race, Desiree Linnete, Faith Beamer, and Sarai Doyle are in the Luzerne County Jail; William Wolfe is in Lackawanna County Jail, per court documents).

    The next action on their court dockets is the preliminary hearing. It was originally set for all five defendants on Friday, May 31, 2024, at 9:00 a.m., in the Luzerne County Courthouse in Wilkes-Barre.

    It has been continued, aka rescheduled, to August 2, 2024, Friday, at 9 a.m.

    Sources:

    • https://prdpcv.pwpca.pa.gov/available-services/Pages/Preliminary-Hearing.aspx
    • https://ujsportal.pacourts.us/#

  • Finally! Robert Baron Murder Trial Starts Today

    Finally! Robert Baron Murder Trial Starts Today

    The Robert Baron murder trial has started today, Monday, May 6, 2024. The trial is expected to take about two weeks, beginning with jury selection today.

    I think most locals will agree this case has haunted Northeastern Pennsylvania ever since Robert Baron went missing under suspicious circumstances in late January 2017. He was the owner of the iconic Old Forge restaurant Ghigiarelli’s — a 100-year-old establishment. Gruesome details about his disappearance made the news, such as the discovery of blood and a tooth at Baron’s family-owned establishment. Billboards pleading for help solving the case were constant reminders of this horrible mystery, which went unsolved for six long years.

    Justin Schuback, 38, of Foundry Street in Old Forge, who was an associate of Robert Baron’s son, was arrested on March 31, 2023. He is charged with:

    • Murder Of The First Degree
    • Murder Of The Second Degree
    •Murder Of The Third Degree Robbery-Inflict Serious Bodily Injury
    • Burglary – Overnight Accommodations; Person Present, Bodily Injury Crime Theft By Unlaw Taking-Movable Prop
    • Criminal Homicide
    • Abuse Of Corpse

    Shuback pleaded not guilty to all charges at his June 2023 preliminary hearing, despite the fact it was his cell-tower data that led police straight to Robert Baron’s remains.

    Sources

    [Paywall] Murder trial in death of Robert Baron set to start Monday, The Citizen’s Voice, May 4, 2024

    Lackawanna County Court of Common Pleas Docket for Justin Shuback

  • Carlisle Street Debra Fox’s autopsy inconclusive; intense investigation ongoing

    Carlisle Street Debra Fox’s autopsy inconclusive; intense investigation ongoing

    Debra Jane Fox portrait photo
    Debra Jane Fox

    The autopsy was inconclusive for Debra “Debbie” Jane Fox, 69, whose remains were found behind the All Host Inn and Suites in Wilkes-Barre on March 26, 2024. The coroner could not determine what caused her death or whether her death was accidental, homicidal, suicidal, etc. This ruling can be changed if more evidence comes to light.

    Debra was reportedly last seen alive in mid-January 2024, per the district attorney. Her daughter Melissa Fox said she last saw her mother in November 2023, when Debra was staying at a local hotel.

    Donate to GoFundMe to help with Debra Fox funeral costs

    Local law enforcement didn’t publicly announce Debra’s cause of death; it was released in response to a right-to-know request from the Times Leader. Per the TL, investigators seem to be actively pursuing leads, with several search warrants filed. County President Judge Michael T. Vough has sealed those warrants so their contents aren’t available to the public at this time.

    Debra was the owner of 142 Carlisle Street and apparently was living at that home when Nicole Cuevas was held there against her will, tortured, murdered, and buried in the basement in April 2023. The D.A. says there is no evidence Debra was involved.

    Deep family roots at Carlisle Street

    The house at 142 Carlisle Street was owned by Debra’s parents since 1948. Debra’s aunt, her father’s sister, lived and raised a family in another one of these rowhouses. Debra’s father, Luke T. Race, died in 1974 at age 55. He was a veteran of World War II and had worked for the Glen Alden Coal Company.

    Debra’s mother, who was born in Virginia, passed away in 2002. After her mother’s passing, Debra and her husband Daniel Fox inherited the home, according to a deed filed in 2002 with the Luzerne County Recorder of Deeds. Husband Daniel Fox died in 2021. Only two years later, Debra lost the family home because of unpaid property taxes.

    Information needed

    Do you know anything about the death of Debra Jane Fox? Anyone with related information can contact Wilkes-Barre City Detective Division c/o Lt. Mathew Stash at 570-208-0911 or Detective James Conmy at 570-208-6775.

    You can also submit an anonymous tip through Pennsylvania Crime Stoppers. If your tip leads to an arrest, you could qualify for a $5,000 reward.

    Sources

    “Luke T Race, 55, of City, Taken by Death,” The Times Leader, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, Monday, September 09, 1974, accessed on newspapers.com

    Luzerne County Recorder of Deeds, book 3002, page 214485, Estate of Elsie V. Race to Debra Fox and Daniel Fox

    “Daniel Fox,” Obituary, Citizens’ Voice, October 22, 2021, viewed on newspapers.com.