MAHANOY CITY BOROUGH, SCHUYLKILL COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — A man has been found guilty after being on trial for a deadly shooting in 2021.
Officials say on Wednesday, February 8, Santonio Pierre Malone was found guilty of the 2021 fatal shooting of Juan Carlos Romero, 33, of Hazleton.
Pennsylvania State Police Frackville said they responded to a disturbance outside of the Rmusic21 Lounge just before 3:00 a.m. on Sunday, October 24, 2021, where they found two people shot.
PSP said that Malone shot Romero multiple times and Romero was pronounced dead on the scene by the Schuylkill County Coroner’s Office.
According to police, Malone also shot Alorfi Bladimir Ramirez several times before he fled the scene. Ramirez was flown to a hospital in serious condition, however, he survived the shooting.
Investigators say after Malone fled, the U.S. Marshals Task Force conducted an investigation and found Malone on Tuesday, January 25, 2022, at a home in the 1600 block of Gregory Avenue in Memphis, Tennessee.
Police say Malone was extradited from Tennessee back to Pennsylvania on Thursday, January 27, 2022, to be processed and arraigned.
According to Schuylkill County court officials, Malone was found guilty of first-degree murder for the death of Juan Carlos Romero, two counts of aggravated assault, criminal attempt to commit homicide for the shooting of Alorfi Bladimir Ramirez, two charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and possession of an instrument of crime with intent to use it.
Malone has a sentencing hearing scheduled for Monday, March 20, at 2:00 p.m., where he faces a mandatory life sentence.
