Trial begins for two men accused in deadly Lower Merion home invasion

NORRISTOWN, Pa. – The trial has begun for the two men accused of shooting and killing a 25-year-old man and paralyzing his mother during a home invasion in Lower Merion Township last year. 

Prosecutors allege the suspects, Kevlin Roberts and Charles Fulforth, intended to steal guns from an elderly couple, but mistakenly went to the wrong address. 

The prosecution called their first witness on Monday – the first officer to respond to the scene – and played the audio of a 911 call made by one of the victims. 

The backstory:

Back on Dec. 8, 2024, Lower Merion police responded to a home on Meredith Road for reports of a home invasion and shooting. 

Police found 25-year-old Andrew Gaudio dead from multiple gunshot wounds, and his mother, Bernadette Gaudio suffering from multiple gunshot wounds in her bed. 

Bernadette – who is now paralyzed from her injuries – later told police that a man entered her room and shot her in her bed before shooting her son when he attempted to help her. 

The suspects then fled the home in two separate vehicles, including one that belonged to the Gaudio family, that were later tracked to a property in Philadelphia. Police say they later recovered video of Fulforth exiting the stolen Jeep.

What they’re saying:

The Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office says Roberts and Fulforth worked together at Junkluggers in Willow Grove, where a coworker informed them about a house in Bucks County with a large cache of guns.

Prosecutors say the pair intended to steal guns from that come, but instead went to the wrong house, instead going to the Gaudio house in Montgomery County. 

During opening statements, the prosecution argued that the men acted together in a deliberate, pre-meditated crime motivated by greed and determined to use violence – referencing 12 shots that were fired inside the home from three different guns. 

Two of those guns were later recovered by investigators. 

Attorneys for Roberts and Fulforth asked the jury to view the evidence as it applied to each defendant separately. 

Roberts attorney argued that agreeing to participate in a robbery doesn’t mean he had intent to kill. 

Fulforth’s attorney argued that his client’s DNA was never found in the Jeep and that the third gun was never located, suggesting another person was involved. 

Dig deeper:

Jeremy Fuentes, another Junkluggers employee, was later arrested and charged in the deadly home invasion. He will be tried separately in September. 

It’s alleged that Fuentes gave a quote to a customer at a home in Bucks County, and told Roberts and Fulforth about guns and a gun safe at the home.

Investigators uncovered that the deadly home invasion was believed to be part of a much larger gun trafficking ring that resulted in five additional arrests.

What’s next:

Bernadette Gaudio is expected to testify in court on Tuesday. 

Crime & Public SafetyMontgomery CountyNews