From Berks County District Attorney’s Office
District Attorney John T. Adams announced on Tuesday, Jan. 7, that we saw a dramatic drop in the number of homicides that occurred in our county in 2024. Twelve homicides occurred in 2024. One of those homicides, the homicide of Sean Clemens, was ruled justified. Another homicide which occurred on Dec. 21, 2024, is still under investigation and a ruling on that homicide will occur when the investigation concludes.
In 2024, eight of the homicides occurred in the City of Reading, a considerable decline from previous years. Five of the eight city homicides have been solved to date.
Previous Years Homicides
In 2021, Berks County had 19 homicides. Of those 19, two were ruled as justified homicides. Twelve of those homicides occurred in the City of Reading; however, one of these homicides was ruled justified.
In 2022, Berks County had 23 homicides. Seventeen of those homicides occurred in the City of Reading.
In 2023, Berks County had 20 homicides. One of those homicides was a justified officer-involved shooting. Fifteen of those homicides occurred in the City of Reading.
District Attorney Adams said we welcome this news and believes that the drop in homicides is reflective of ongoing efforts by the City of Reading’s Neighborhood Gun Violence Detail, the Berks County District Attorney’s Office, Gun Crime Unit, and the Berks County Probation and Parole’s Firearms Suppression Unit. Two of these task forces, the City of Reading and Probation and Parole’s Firearms Suppression Unit, are funded by grants received from PCCD (Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency). We are extremely pleased that fighting gun violence is a priority of PCCD and the results thus far have shown that the formation and work of these task forces from the receipt of grant funding is making an impact in our community.
Other collaborative efforts include “Nightlight.” “Nightlight” involves County Detectives, County and State Parole, Deputy Sheriffs, and City and County Police. This detail makes unannounced visits to offender’s residences, does bar checks, and has been very successful in seizing weapons and drugs. This detail, which is funded by the County, has been operating for many years.
District Attorney Adams said that we will continue these collaborative efforts with all law enforcement in our County as we will continue to do everything possible to keep our community safe.
Prosecution of Pending Homicides
District Attorney Adams also announced the results of homicide prosecutions for 2024. The District Attorney’s Office resolved 22 homicide cases in 2024 through pleas or trials. All cases that went to trial resulted in guilty verdicts. I am very pleased that we continue to prosecute violent offenders to the fullest extent of the law. We also benefit from great investigative work by law enforcement in Berks County. Again and again, the tireless effort by law enforcement has led to the successful resolution of these homicide cases.
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Source: bctv