Man sought in Berks homicide

By Shawn A. Hessinger
Managing Editor Berks-Mont Newspapers

A Lebanon County man is still on the loose after police allege he strangled a mother of six and the sister of a former girlfriend.

Police have obtained a warrant for the arrest of Julio Angel Lastra, 32, charging him with first, second, and third degree murder, burglary, aggravated assault and criminal tresspass in the death of Marisol Rivera, 45, 585 Frystown Rd., Bethel Township.

According to a police affidavit filed with District Justice Andrea Book, Straustown, PA, the victim was heard saying in Spanish “Who is this?” as she was taken from her bed and strangled by Lastra late Sept. 24 or early Sept 25.

Lastra had been in a longterm relationship with Rivera’s sister Mari Reyes since 2001, but had a Protection from Abuse Order filed against him Sept. 22 after Reyes claimed Lastra had tried to kill her on two occasions.

The affadavit states the crime was witnessed by Rivera’s daughter Gianna, 8, who was sleeping with her mother at the time.

Police say Lastra’s sister testified she drove him to a location very close to Rivera’s residence on Frystown Rd. late Sept. 23, but did not know at the time of the significance of the location.

Police say another witness, Sylma Perez, told police she received a phone call from a distraught Gianna Rivera at 1 p.m. Sept. 25, who told her about the attack.

Gianna Rivera later told police she had been asleep in her mother’s bed when she heard Rivera scream and awoke to see a man choking her mother and pulling her to the floor.

See you at the Oley Fair

I’ll be manning the newspaper’s booth at this historic event in the Oley Valley today and tomorrow from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.

For those who would like a bit more historical info on the six decade tradition, check this link.

Stop by the booth and say hello. Maybe we can take some photos to include in an upcoming edition of The Boyertown Area Times, The Oley Valley Sentinel or this blog.

If you’ve got some Oley Fair photos you would like to share with the community send them to us here. Info. on the fair and related events can be placed in the comment section of this blog and will be posted once approved.

See you there.

Find out more about buying/selling/trading your car

Want to know whether you got a good deal on that new car purchase or how to avoid getting taken for a ride?

A local car dealer can help put you in the driver’s seat when it comes to wheeling and dealing for a new or used automobile.

Be sure to read the Cory’s Car Questions blog at www.berksmontnews.com.

You can read the free advice offered and even participate with your own questions.

Just post your question in any of the comment areas on the blog, and your question and Cory’s answer will be posted and included in an upcoming print addition in all of our Berks-Mont Newspapers.

Be sure to look for the print addition of Cory’s Car Questions in the classified section of one of our newspapers available at newsstands including: The Boyertown Area Times, The Southern Berks News, The Kutztown Area Patriot, The Hamburg Area Item, The Westside Weekly available at local newsstands.

The column also runs regularly in The Free Press (Quakertown) and The Saucon News and The Community Connection serving the Pottsgrove and Pottstown School Districts.