One of two suspects has been arrested in connection with a home invasion in Pennsylvania earlier this month that left a 25-year-old man dead and his mother paralyzed after being shot multiple times.
Charles Fulforth, 41, of Jenkintown, was charged with second-degree murder, robbery, burglary and related charges in connection with the deadly home invasion on Dec. 8 in Lower Merion Township, the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office announced Thursday.
But another man, Kelvin Roberts, 42, of Philadelphia, is still sought by police with a $5,000 reward offered for information leading to his capture.
Lower Merion Police first received a call about a home invasion shooting around 2:20 a.m. on Dec. 8.
Responding officers found Andrew Gaudio, 25, deceased with multiple gunshot wounds and his mother, Bernadette Gaudio, 61, also suffering from several gunshot wounds but conscious.
In a statement to detectives, she said she was asleep when a man entered her bedroom and “simply shot her,” the DA said in a news release. Her son came in to help her and was fatally shot before her eyes.
Unable to move, Bernadette used Siri, the iPhone's voice controlled virtual assistant, to call authorities, District Attorney Kevin R. Steele told reporters Thursday.
“She was able to call 911 using Siri and it was a very brave move on her part because I think indications are that the individuals were still in the house at the time,” Steele said.
Bernadette was transported to a hospital where she underwent emergency surgery. Steele said Thursday that she's paralyzed in the aftermath of the shooting, and is recovering and seems to be "getting a little bit of movement."
It's not clear why the men targeted the Gaudio home, but Steele said a jewelry box was taken and found in one of the suspect's homes.
“This was a horrible crime and I find it very difficult not to think about what Bernadette is going through with her recovery and what happened in that bedroom and what she saw happened to her son,” Steele said.
How police honed in on the suspects
In the investigation, police reviewed dashcam footage from a responding Lower Merion Township police vehicle. In it, an officer pulled up in front of a white Hyundai Azera that was leaving the scene of the homicide.
It turned out that vehicle had a Pennsylvania Registration tag that did not match the car. Detectives searched through Department of Transportation records and matched the vehicle to a resident on Sansom Street in Philadelphia.
The dashcam footage also captured a green Jeep Cherokee, that belonged to the victim, leaving the scene. That car was later found also on Sansom Street.
A resident at the Sansom residence identified the driver of the white vehicle as Kelvin Roberts. On Dec. 9 Roberts was charged with second-degree murder, robbery and related offenses, and authorities are still searching for him.
On Dec. 10, detectives met with a source who stated that Roberts was “criminally involved with his boss at Junkluggers in Willow Grove.”
Detectives went to Junkluggers where they met with Fulforth who stated he was Roberts’ immediate boss.
A review surveillance footage from Samson Street showed a man fitting Fulforth’s description exiting the victim’s Jeep Cherokee and entering the Sansom residence with Roberts.
Search warrants were obtained for Roberts’ and Fulforth’s cellphones which showed them both at Samson Street around 12 a.m. on Dec. 8. Around 12:40 a.m., their phones moved towards Lower Merion, the area of the home invasion and homicide, where they stayed until 2:45 a.m., then both phones started traveling back to Sansom Street, the news release said.
Both phones were contacting each other in the minutes following the home invasion and homicide, and Fulforth’s phone was only in contact with Roberts during this time, the prosecutor said.
A second degree murder arrest warrant was obtained for Fulforth on Dec. 11 and he was arrested apprehended Thursday morning. It's not immediately clear if he has retained a lawyer.
Investigators have not yet determined of the two suspects who shot and killed Gaudio, but Steele said there’s a possibility that both men committed the murder, NBC Philadelphia reported.
Officials warn that Roberts is possibly armed and dangerous, and locals are warned not approach him but call 911.