Killing of couple caps bloody weekend in Camden
Investigators are searching for leads in the murder of a couple who were found dead in their East Camden home this week, making them the city's third and fourth fatal shooting victims since Friday.
Investigators are searching for leads in the murder of a couple who were found dead in their East Camden home this week, making them the city's third and fourth fatal shooting victims since Friday.
The bodies of John Valerio, 23, and Aleshia Schmincke Hill, 25, were found just before 1:45 p.m. Monday by their landlord, who went to the property to make a repair and called 911.
Police who responded to the house on North 26th Street found a gruesome scene: Valerio's body was downstairs, according to multiple sources with knowledge of the investigation, while Hill was found in an upstairs bedroom. Both were shot in the head at close range, and there were no signs of forced entry.
Kevin Callahan of the Camden County Prosecutor's Office declined to comment on the investigation. His office did not release any information on possible suspects.
It was not clear when police believe Valerio and Hill were shot. Neighbors never reported hearing gunshots.
Valerio and Hill were engaged, according to friends and relatives in front of the house Tuesday afternoon, and they had lived on the block for some time. Hill had recently worked as a waitress, according to her Facebook page. A relative of Valerio's said he worked at a factory, but declined to name it. She would not speak further, saying the family was too distraught.
One friend, who said he would not give his name out of respect to Valerio's family, said Valerio also worked as a bouncer.
"They were great people," the man said, sobbing. "I just can't believe this. This is not happening."
The block just off Federal Street is typically quiet, said neighbor Ramon Rodriguez. But in recent years, he said, drug addicts and dealers have started gathering on corners.
"Out on this corner, I'm fighting with people selling drugs," he said. "The block is quiet, because I tell them to move on or I call the police."
Their killings capped a bloody weekend in Camden, which began Friday when 22-year-old Pedro Mercado allegedly shot his mother in their Cramer Hill home. Iris Sanchez, 38, died hours later at Cooper University Hospital. Mercado was arrested that night.
Around 8:40 that night, police in the city's Cooper Plaza section responded to a report of a shooting and discovered Angel Soltero, 55, lying in the street near the intersection of Trenton Avenue and Ninth Street. He died at Cooper. No arrest has been made.
Camden has had nine homicides this year, up from five at this time in 2015.
Anyone with information on the recent homicides should contact Camden County Prosecutor's Office Detective Lee Hopkins at 856-225-8623 or Camden County Police Detective Mark Lee at 856-757-7420. Tipsters can also email ccpotips@ccprosecutor.org.
856-779-3876 @AESteele
