ALLENTOWN, Pa. -A husband and wife from Allentown have been arrested and charged with robbery and homicide in the death of a man in October 2020.
The crime happened on the Hamilton Street Bridge in the middle of the day. Lehigh County District Attorney Gavin Holihan said investigators believe 39-year-old Jose Santiago and his wife, 35-year-old Latasha Santiago, are responsible for the shooting death of 21-year-old Christian Lopez-Rodriguez.
“Tracking them took a fair bit of diligence on the part of law enforcement, and because of the nature of this offense, there was a lot of safety concerns in actually effectuating the arrest,” said Holihan.
Holihan said when officers did arrest them, the two came quietly. Holihan said the killing was part of a robbery that went horribly wrong.
“One of the victims of the robbery fought back against the robber, and it is alleged that Jose Santiago shot and killed the victim who fought back,” said Holihan.
That victim was Lopez-Rodriguez. After killing him and stealing his belongings, Holihan said the Santiagos fled the scene, but they were caught on video.
“Mr. Santiago was followed by the city cameras and located,” said Holihan.
Latasha Santiago is now facing five different charges, and Jose Santiago is facing eight. He’s the one who police believe pulled the trigger. Both are charged with homicide, and if convicted, could spend the rest of their lives in prison without the possibility of parole.
Both Jose and Latasha Santiago are being held at the Lehigh County Jail, and their bail has been denied. They both have a preliminary hearing set for Feb. 21.