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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Val
November 25, 2024 at 5:09 pm
O’Pake would certainly sweep the case under the rug, as it usually goes in Schuylkill county, but.. oops, people of Schuylkill County completely ruined his plans by organizing public protests around the courthouse.
Lori Ann Steinhart
November 28, 2024 at 12:21 pm
If there ever was a case that required the death penalty, it is this one. I see already O’Pake is a snowflake. I mean this kid murdered 2 guys and assaulted another and has more charges for other crimes than just these. What do you need to have the death penalty on the table because it’s evidently not horrendous murder!! At least not in Schuylkill County