NEW PHILADELPHIA, Pa. - An arrest was made in the killings of two teenagers who were found dead in Schuylkill County woods last fall.
Lamour Branch, 19, of Port Carbon, was arrested Wednesday, according to Pennsylvania State Police.
State Police say Branch is accused of stabbing to death Angelito Caraballo, 16, and fatally shooting Hunter Mock, 18, of New Philadelphia in October.
Investigators say Branch was hanging out with the two victims and a fourth man on the night of October 8, 2023. The group all arrived together in Branch's SUV, according to court documents.
On October 10, 2023, the bodies of the two missing teens were discovered, in a wooded area on the outskirts of New Philadelphia known as "Sanchez." They had been reported missing the previous day.
According to paperwork, the fourth person, who is known to police, says he ran for his life and swam through a pond after Branch pulled out a gun and started shooting.
In interviews with police, that person and Branch each blamed the other for the killings.
Lamour Curtis Branch
Paperwork says that in November, police talked to an inmate in Schuylkill County Prison, who was cell mates with Branch. He had been behind bars in an unrelated burglary and trespassing case.
The inmate told police that Branch had said he and the fourth person from the October night had gone out with the intention to kill a young woman and possibly Mock, because the woman "had a bullet with his name on it," the affidavit of probable cause says.
The inmate told police the woman didn't come with the group that night and instead Mock brought Caraballo. Branch said Caraballo had to be killed because he was a witness, according to the affidavit.
Investigators say they searched several homes associated with Branch and found evidence including the pistol used to kill Mock, a gym bag with Branch's clothes in it from that night, and a black and gold pocketknife believed to have been used to kill Caraballo.
Police also said in the court documents that Branch made several internet searches the day after the killings related to Schuylkill County news and missing persons. The searches were made before both Caraballo and Mock were reported missing.
State police were waiting on results from new forensic evidence that had been submitted.
The state police held a news conference earlier this afternoon.
Branch was charged Wednesday with two counts each of first- and third-degree murder, multiple counts of aggravated and simple assault, and possession of a deadly weapon.