ALLENTOWN, Pa. — A man charged in the 2018 shooting death in Allentown — then fled to Massachusetts, where he was charged in another killing — has been convicted in the area death.
Anderson Jorge Cruz, 27, no known address, on was found guilty Wednesday by a jury of voluntary manslaughter-unreasonable belief, a first-degree felony, for killing Juan Alfredo Sanchez, 24.
Cruz faces maximum sentence of 20 years in prison when he is sentenced, scheduled for March 11.Lehigh County District Attorney's office release
Cruz faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison when he is sentenced, scheduled for March 11.
The verdict came after a three-day trial before Judge Robert L. Steinberg, Lehigh County District Attorney Gavin P. Holihan announced.
Sanchez was shot April 26, 2018, in the 300 block of Linden Street.
Police arrived to find him in the street suffering from two gunshot wounds to the torso, according to a release from the district attorney's office.
Sanchez underwent emergency surgery, but he died from the injuries and the county coroner ruled his death a homicide.
Crime details, second death
Holihan said the investigation revealed Cruz and Sanchez were in a car together and got into a verbal argument that escalated into a physical fight.
During that fight, Cruz pulled out a handgun from under the seat of the vehicle and shot Sanchez twice before driving away at a high speed.
Two months after arriving in Massachusetts, Cruz committed a separate homicide. In 2019, he was arrested by federal authorities in a heroin and fentanyl trafficking investigation.Lehigh County District Attorney's office release
A warrant for Cruz was issued the day after the killing, but Cruz gave away the weapon used in the killing, sold his car and fled to Massachusetts, the release said.
Two months after arriving in Massachusetts, Cruz committed a separate homicide. In 2019, he was arrested by federal authorities in a heroin and fentanyl trafficking investigation.
He pleaded guilty in both the federal drug investigation and the Massachusetts homicide and was returned to Pennsylvania in 2024 to face charges here.
This case was investigated by Allentown Police Detective Stephen Fiorillo and Lehigh County Homicide Task Force Detective Kevin Mriss, and was prosecuted by Chief Deputy District Attorney Sarah A. Moyer and Senior Deputy District Attorney Ashley N. Troxell.
