NORRISTOWN, Pa. – It was an emotional day in court as a woman took to the stand to testify after she and her son were victims in an alleged deadly home invasion in Lower Merion late last year.
What we know:
For the first time Bernadette Gaudio spoke about the morning of December 8th, 2024, the alleged invasion of her Wynnewood home of 22 years and the shooting that left her paralyzed and took the life of her 25-year-old son, Andrew.
She says she was in bed following a night spent celebrating her older son’s birthday when she remembered, quote, “Waking up to a big blast and a large Black man with a hoodie looking right at me.”
She says she was shot and when the bullet hit her, she knew she was paralyzed right away.
What they’re saying:
She said in court she heard Andrew yelling, “Mom!” repeatedly, trying to make his way to her. She said when he got into her room, she saw someone come back in and shoot him and that she, quote, “Knew right away,” he didn’t survive.
Bernadette testified she tried to keep her eyes shut so they didn’t know she was alive and used Siri to call 911 since she couldn’t move.
At times, she said she went silent on the call for her safety. The call was played in court Monday.
The backstory:
Charles Fulforth and his co-defendant, Kelvin Roberts, are both facing first degree murder, among other charges, for the crime.
The District Attorney’s Office said the pair worked together at Junkluggers in Willow Grove and a co-worker, Jeremy Fuentes, told them about a house in Bucks County that had a large amount of guns.
Prosecutors said Roberts and Fulforth sought to steal them, but went to the wrong address.
Fuentes’ trial is separate and scheduled for mid-September.
A Junkluggers co-worker took the Bucks County estimate with Fuentes was among those called to testify Tuesday, along with two Montgomery County detectives.
Dig deeper:
Prosecutors showed Bernadette’s jewelry box in the courtroom and showed pictures of the same box allegedly found in Kelvin Robert’s Sansom Street home after the crime.
The DA’s Office said Roberts and Fulforth acted together in a deliberate, pre-meditated crime, stating 12 shots were fired in the Gaudio home by three different guns. Two of which investigators recovered.
The other side:
Defense attorneys for Roberts and Fulforth say there is plenty of reasonable doubt in the case, including if the third gun belonged to someone else.
They questioned Bernadette about descriptions of the person that came back into the room that morning and she said she wasn’t sure if it was the same person she initially made eye contact with.
What you can do:
Anyone wishing to help Bernadette Gaudio in her recovery can do so by visiting her Help Hope Live website, here.