Schuylkill County District Attorney Mike O’Pake said Monday that his office won’t seek the death penalty against Lamour Branch in the New Philadelphia double murder case.
O’Pake declined to elaborate further on why he’s choosing not to make this a capital offense, saying that the case and investigation are ongoing.
On Monday morning, at Schuylkill County Courthouse, Branch appeared remotely for a status conference in the case. His attorney, Ashley Sabol, of the Schuylkill County Public Defenders office, was seeking a 60-day extension on the deadline to file pre-trial motions in the case.
Sabol cited the rather voluminous amount of discovery in this case and the fact that her office’s resources are stretched thin.
O’Pake did not object to the extension request.
There is a 30-day deadline to file pre-trial motions after a defendant is arraigned.
Schuylkill County President Judge Jacqueline Russell granted the motion after checking with Branch and notifying him that the extension would put a pause on the one-year deadline that the DA’s office has to bring his case to trial.
Branch said he understood and was OK with his attorney’s request for an extension.
On June 5, following a hearing on another case, Branch was arrested at Schuylkill County Courthouse and charged with the murders of New Philadelphia teens Hunter Mock and Angelito Caraballo.
Prosecutors say Branch killed Mock and Caraballo in October 2023 in a wooded area near New Philadelphia known as The Sanchez.
Branch is facing two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of third-degree murder, three counts of first-degree felony aggravated assault, three counts of second-degree felony aggravated assault, and a host of misdemeanors.
- FOR FULL COVERAGE OF THIS CASE, PLEASE FOLLOW THIS LINK: New Philadelphia Murders
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