Jacob Sullivan's attorneys didn't exactly get what they expected at his sentencing hearing Wednesday. Sullivan's lawyers have said Sara Packer was the brains behind the rape and murder of Packer's 14-year-old adopted daughter, Grace, in 2016. They also said she'd acknowledge that when she testified. Instead, Sara Packer told the jury determining whether Sullivan should be sentenced to life in prison or the death penalty, that she got wrapped up in Sullivan's fantasy to rape the girl. Packer also said the original plan was for Sullivan to rape the teen, not kill her. Sullivan has already pleaded guilty to raping, killing, dismembering and disposing of the girl's body. Sara Packer is expected to do likewise after Sullivan's sentencing.
Investigators have identified the young girl who died after falling out of an Allentown window. The Lehigh County Coroner's Office says five-year-old Ahnelly Rivera was killed after tumbling from the fourth floor window of the Livingston apartment building on Hamilton Street Tuesday night. An autopsy determined it was the head injuries she suffered in the fall that caused her death. The investigation into how and why she fell remains active.
State police are looking for an unidentified woman who used her own body waste to ruin hundreds of feet of rugs. The woman reportedly defecated herself Sunday while in the Zionsville Antique Mall in Upper Milford Township. Trooper allege the woman then walked around the store and smeared her own filth on around 500 feet of carpeting before driving off.
Allentown City Council has approved the rezoning of several parcels on the 1200 block of South Meadow Street to make way for a new 24-hour Wawa. The planned Wawa will be open 24 hours and will be built at the southeast corner of South Fourth and Susquehanna streets, northwest of the South Meadow Street parcels.
A Palmer Township police officer was taken to the hospital after a crash Wednesday night. The police vehicle and another car crashed at Route 248 and Kingston Road just after 9pm. The officer was taken to the hospital to be checked for minor injuries. Police will be looking at dashcam footage to see what led to the crash.
The Reading Eagle Company, which publishes the Reading Eagle newspaper, has filed for bankruptcy protection. The more than 150-year-old family-owned company is looking for a buyer. The company says it will continue to publish and operate under bankruptcy rules. The paper celebrated its 150th anniversary last year.
A state lawmaker is pushing for a ban on styrofoam containers. "Styrofoam has been an issue over the years clogging our waterways, going into our rivers and our oceans. The less we can send to the landfills, the better. The less that makes it into the ocean, the better," says Democrat St. Rep. Tim Briggs. His bill would prevent eateries from using polystyrene containers.
The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission's Mentored Youth Trout Fishing Day is Saturday. The event allows any anglers 15-year-old and younger to cast alongside an adult with a Pennsylvania fishing license and trout permit. Each young angler can take up to two trout at least seven inches long. The youth must also have a free mentored youth fishing permit from one of 700 issuing agents or at www.gonefishingpa.com.
Cory Booker is opening up about his love life. On "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" Wednesday, The U.S. senator from New Jersey and presidential candidate gushed about his girlfriend, actress Rosario Dawson. DeGeneres said if Booker wins the presidency, the two should get married in the White House like a royal wedding.
The Philadelphia Flyers and Chicago Blackhawks will open next season in Prague. The Flyers and Blackhawks will face off in the Czech Republic's capital October 4. It's the third consecutive year the NHL is staging games in Europe as part of its Global Series.