Dauphin County District Attorney Edward M. Marsico, Jr. and  Derry Township Police Chief Patrick O’Rourke announce the arrest of DaJuan Anthony Porter, age 29, in connection with the June 10, 2013, murder of Joyce Roth in Derry Township.  Mrs. Roth died of a stab wound to the chest during a burglary at her son’s residence.  Mrs. Roth, age 87 and a resident of the Allentown area, was visiting Derry Township for the high school graduation of her great-grandchild.  Derry Twp. Police charged Porter with murder, burglary, arson, two counts of intimidation of a victim or witness, and two counts of retaliation against a victim or witness.  The arrest is the result of a task force investigation led by the Derry Township Police Department.  The task force includes members of the Criminal Investigation Division of the Dauphin County District Attorney’s Office, the Harrisburg Bureau of Police, the Pennsylvania State Police, and the Lower Paxton Township Police Department.  The Swatara Township Police Department and the Hampden Township, Cumberland County Police Department also provided substantial assistance in the effort.

Task force members previously arrested DaJuan Porter on Tuesday, June 11, 2013, on charges including involuntary deviate sexual intercourse and attempted involuntary deviate sexual intercourse.  Since that time, Porter has been held in lieu of $1,000,000 bail in the Dauphin County Prison.  With the filing of the new charges, Porter will be held without bail.  The criminal complaint charges that Porter killed Mrs. Roth in an attempt to thwart the prosecution of three counts of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, three counts of sexual assault, and burglary.  Those charges are pending before the Dauphin County Court of Common Pleas at CP-22-CR-5134-2012.  Mrs. Roth is a blood relative of one of the victims of those pending charges.  One of the victims in the case at CP-22-CR-5134-2012 had resided at the residence where the murder was committed and was the likely target of the murder.  We request that the media respect the privacy of each of the sexual assault victims.

The arson and second set of witness intimidation and retaliation charges relates to a fire that occurred in Lower Paxton Township on the same morning as the murder.  The arson occurred at the home of a second sexual assault victim in the case at CP-22-CR-5134-2012.  Fortunately, this fire did not result in any bodily injury.

The investigation revealed that Porter used a truck to travel to and from the scenes of the murder and arson.  The truck owner has cooperated with investigators and is not charged in the incident.

            District Attorney Marsico and Chief O’Rourke pledged a continuing investigation and vigorous prosecution to achieve justice for Mrs. Roth and her family.  As with any criminal case, the charges filed today are mere allegations.  Porter is presumed innocent unless and until convicted in a court of law.