A Reading man has been sentenced to state prison after pleading guilty in a pistol-whipping that led to the shooting death of a city man in 2022.

Jayquan Sanchez, 36, was sentenced Thursday by Berks County Court Judge Eleni Dimitriou Geishauser to 15 to 30 years in a state prison after pleading guilty to third-degree murder.

The district attorney’s office said Sanchez pistol-whipped Quadell Spradley during an altercation and the gun went off, striking Spradley in the head on July 31, 2022.

Police responded about 3:50 a.m. to a reported shooting in the 1200 block of Church Street.

Spradley was transported to Reading Hospital, where he later died of his injuries.

Following an investigation, Reading police in August 2022 obtained a warrant for Sanchez’s arrest.

Police said Sanchez was taken into custody on Aug. 5, 2023, by police in Chico, Calif.

They said Sanchez was at a house party when Chico police responded to a call for a reported shooting.

Officers cleared the residence and found Sanchez hiding under a bed.

Chico police initially were unable to identify Sanchez after he gave false identification, they said.

After a fingerprint scan, Sanchez’s identity was confirmed, and Chico police noticed his arrest warrant for murder, along with other active warrants from the Chico police department.

Spradley’s death was one of two homicides that took place that morning in Reading.

At about 3 a.m., officers responded to the 400 block of Spring Garden Street for a report of shots fired. They found victim Edwin Rivera-Valentin, who died at the scene.

In that case, Luis Cepeda-Morales, 23, of Reading was taken into custody in August 2022 by police in Puerto Rico.

Investigators said Cepeda-Morales fired eight rounds from a rifle following an argument outside the suspect’s home in the 400 block of Spring Garden Street.

Cepeda-Morales was sentenced by Judge Madelyn S. Fudeman in July 2023 to 6 to 12 years in a state prison after pleading guilty to voluntary manslaughter.

 

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