A York man was convicted by a Berks County jury Thursday for the 2022 killing of a security guard in New Morgan.
David Hartsook, 37, was found guilty of first-degree murder and related charges following a three-day trial in front of Judge M. Theresa Johnson. Hartsook is set to be sentenced in March.
Hartsook was convicted of fatally shooting 37-year-old Troy Rickenbach and wounding Rafael Yambo, both of whom worked as nighttime security guards at an industrial property, on Aug. 6, 2022.
According to police:
Yambo and Rickenbach were working as nighttime security at an industrial property in New Morgan that had been plagued by nocturnal thieves removing catalytic converters from trucks in a gravel lot off Quarry Road.
Just after midnight on Aug. 6, Yambo, who was Rickenbach’s brother-in-law, noticed the glow of a flashlight about 150 yards south of their security vehicle, which was near the edge of the lot near the gate.
He drove toward the area where he saw the light. As he got close, the headlights shone on a dark-colored van parked in an adjacent lot inside a gated parking area on private property.
Yambo immediately called 911 to report the suspicious vehicle to police. While on the phone with a dispatcher, he said Rickenbach walked toward the van.
He watched Rickenbach shine his flashlight inside the van.
Rickenbach ran back to the security vehicle, got in and said there was someone inside the van.
At that point, Yambo noticed a man standing about 5 feet from the driver’s side with a gun pointed at him from about shoulder-height.
Yambo shifted the security van into reverse as the first shot was fired. He was struck in the right forearm by a bullet but continued to drive in reverse to try to escape the gunfire. Rickenbach told him that he had been shot as well.
Yambo said he fell between the front seats and played dead. As he was laying there, he heard the shooter’s footsteps approaching the driver’s side, but there was no more gunfire before he heard the shooter walking away.
A short time later he heard a vehicle’s tires peeling out on the gravel.
Yambo stayed between the seats for about 30 seconds. When he sat up, the minivan was gone and he didn’t see anyone in the area.
He noticed Rickenbach wasn’t moving or breathing. He called 911 and stayed on the line until police and an ambulance crew arrived.
Rickenbach was found dead in the passenger seat with a gunshot wound to the torso. Yambo was taken to Reading Hospital for treatment.
An autopsy by Dr. Neil Hoffman, a forensic pathologist, determined Rickenbach died of a gunshot wound that pierced both lungs and his aorta. The death was ruled a homicide.
On May 11, two troopers interviewed a former friend of Hartsook’s who had lived with Hartsook and his wife at the time of the New Morgan shooting.
The man said that while sharing a residence he would help Hartsook steal catalytic converters.
He said Hartsook asked him one night in August to accompany him to an area in Morgantown, about 60 miles east of York, to scope out a potential target for such thefts.
He said they pulled into the concealed area. Hartsook got out of the van while the man remained in the van. The man said they saw vehicle headlights and got scared so he reclined his seat to conceal himself while pleading with Hartsook to leave.
A short time later he could see a flashlight being shone on him. Moments later, while still lying back, he heard four or five gunshots. Hartsook rapidly entered the van and drove in reverse for a distance before driving off and heading back to York.
Hartsook was arrested by state police at his home in May 2023.