An Allentown man was acquitted Monday in the killing of a man nearly three years ago at an after-hours club in the city.
A Lehigh County jury on Monday found Isiah Yeager, 26, not guilty in the June 18, 2023, death of Kevin Tarafa, according to court records.
Tarafa, 29, of Bethlehem, was fatally stabbed about 3 a.m. at the now-closed Synergy Hookah lounge at 1522 Union Blvd., authorities have said. Yeager was arrested and charged with homicide shortly after the killing. The trial began June 8.
Gregory Spang, who represented Yeager with co-counsel Joshua Karoly, said Yeager and his family have endured a “long and difficult journey” over the past three years.
“From the beginning, we maintained that the evidence did not support the charges against him,” he said. “After carefully considering all of the evidence presented during the trial, the jury reached what we believe was the right decision based on the facts and the law.”
The verdict, he said, brings an end to a challenging chapter in Yeager’s life, and allows him to move forward.
“We thank everyone who has supported Isiah and his family throughout this process and are pleased that justice has been served,” he said.
District Attorney Gavin Holihan said an eyewitness saw Yeager stab Tarafa, and that witness followed him outside the club. Tarafa identified Yeager as the person who stabbed him before he died, the DA said. That witness testified as such at a Yeager’s preliminary hearing, the DA said.
However, the witness died by suicide before the trial, and his testimony from the preliminary hearing was not admissible at trial, Holihan said.
Three other people — Robin Scott, 49, of Allentown; Jerome Joyner, 41, of Emmaus; and Kali Martin, 26, of Whitehall Township — all are charged with a misdemeanor of tampering with evidence in the homicide, according to court records.