The case of a man charged with fatally shooting his ex-girlfriend in Allentown was sent to Lehigh County Court after a preliminary hearing Wednesday.
Adam Makowka, 28, of South Whitehall Township, allegedly shot 22-year-old Jerkera Battle in her apartment on the 700 block of Turner Street on July 22. Battle was found dead in a hallway with a gunshot wound to the head.
A witness at the apartment identified Makowka to police and said he was armed with an AR-15 rifle, the Lehigh County District Attorney’s Office said. Makowka allegedly fired numerous shots. Battle’s infant son was in the apartment at the time.
Surveillance cameras showed Makowka arriving at the apartment building and entering through a fire escape, the DA’s office said. About two hours after the shooting, Makowka was arrested in a park in Lansdowne, Delaware County.
Magisterial District Judge Daniel Trexler found enough evidence to sent Makowka to court on charges of criminal homicide, attempted criminal homicide, aggravated assault and other offenses. He remains in Lehigh County Jail with bail.
The case was investigated by Allentown detectives Theodore Kiskeravage and Miguel Villa and the Lehigh County Homicide Task Force. It is being prosecuted by chief deputy district attorneys Edward A. Muir and Jay W. Jenkins.
Originally Published: October 15, 2025 at 3:43 PM EDT