A Manheim Township man was sentenced to 35 to 70 years in state prison after he pleaded guilty yesterday to randomly shooting a deaf and mute man to death on a city street.

Judge Jeffery Wright sentenced Edwin Ulysses Concepcion, of the first block of Hampton Lane, after he pleaded guilty Sept. 29 to criminal homicide, possession of a firearm with an altered manufacturer number, firearms not to be carried without a license, person not to possess a firearm, false statements written under penalty and materially false written statements.

A jury was prepared to hear the case this week, but Concepcion, 25, responded affirmatively in a loud and clear voice when Judge Wright asked him if he wished to plead guilty to the offenses and avoid a trial on the matter.

When given the chance to speak before his sentencing Concepcion told those in the court that he appreciated them and that he hoped to learn something, but otherwise gave no reason as to why he shot 68-year-old Israel Lugo four times in the first block of West New Street in Lancaster city the afternoon of May 1, 2023. Lugo and Concepcion were strangers to one another.

Speaking through a translator, Lugo’s brother addressed the court and begged Concepcion for answers as to why he killed his brother and lamented the senselessness of his actions.

First Deputy Assistant District Attorney Cody Wade, who prosecuted the case, called Concepcion’s actions a “deliberate and unprovoked attack” and also questioned why he murdered Lugo.

The Commonwealth’s burden, Wade told the court, is only to prove what happened, but not necessarily why it occurred.

Surveillance footage from Lancaster Safety Coalition cameras and from nearby homes and businesses showed Lugo, who was deaf and mute, walking toward New Street as Concepcion followed. Concepcion, who was the only other person in the area, could then be seen in the video manipulating an object with his arm and then running away as Lugo fell to the ground.

Additional surveillance footage showed Concepcion holding a black handgun.

Investigators tracked Concepcion’s movements on surveillance footage as he entered a vehicle he ordered through a rideshare service that transported him to the area of South Queen and West Andrew streets. A receipt from the rideshare service provided investigators with Concepcion’s name, phone number and other identifying information.

When police searched Concepcion’s temporary residence in the 300 block of South Queen Street the following day they recovered a loaded handgun with an obliterated serial number, clothes and a cell phone that matched the ones worn and used by the shooter as well as a debit card with numbers matching those used to purchase the rideshare ride. Police arrested Concepcion that evening.

Fingerprints found on the handgun matched Concepcion’s.

Not only did Concepcion not have a license to carry a concealed weapon, but he is not allowed to possess a weapon at all due to a prior felony burglary conviction.

Months later police additionally charged Concepcion with attempting to purchase a pistol from a gun shop in the 2400 block of Lititz Pike in Manheim Township in April 2023. Concepcion was denied the weapon when it was found that he had falsified information about his criminal history on the purchase application.

As part of his sentence Concepcion will be required to pay more than $1,400 for funeral costs.

Lancaster City Bureau of Police Officer Adam Flurry and Manheim Township Police Sgt. Andrew Dobish filed the charges.