Murder suspect charged in Montgomery County
Pablo Serrano-Vitorino has been formally charged in Montgomery County for the death of Randy Nordman. On Wednesday, prosecutors charged Serrano-Vitorino with first-degree murder, armed criminal action, and burglary. If convicted for those crimes, he could get the death penalty or life in prison without parole.
At his first court appearance, Serrano-Vitorino used an interpreter to ask for a public defender. A preliminary hearing has been set for April 28.
Serrano-Vitorino is accused of shooting Nordman at a home on Tree Farm Road between Danville and New Florence Tuesday morning. Court documents released Wednesday afternoon give an account of what happened according to Nordman’s wife.
She says her husband got into a fight with Serrano-Vitorino, who had a gun at the time. The fight happened in the garage, and while Nordman struggled with Serrano-Vitorino for the gun, the wife ran upstairs to the attic and called 911. A short time later, she reported hearing a single gunshot.
The wife then says she saw Serrano-Vitorino running from the house. When law enforcement arrived, they found an ammunition magazine with bullets matching those used with an AK-47. A gun of that type is believed to have been used in a quadruple homicide in Kansas City, Kansas the night before.Serrano-Vitorino has been charged with murder in that case.
When Serrano-Vitorino was caught early Wednesday, authorities say he had a gun matching the description and ammunition type of the one used in Nordman’s death and the Kansas City shootings.
Tuesday’s manhunt started after a truck linked to the Kansas City case was found abandoned in Montgomery County. Schools in Montgomery County district, including Jonesburg Elementary School, were placed on lockdown and state troopers were at each one for security.
Evidence from Serrano-Vitorino’s arrest has also linked him to the truck from the manhunt.
Serrano-Vitorino is an illegal immigrant, who has been deported before. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) also released a statement Wednesday that said an error allowed Pablo Serrano-Vitorino to avoid deportation less than six months before the deadly shootings.
ICE has put a detainer on Serrano-Vitorino, meaning the department has asked to be notified before Serrano-Vitorino is released from local custody. That would allow ICE to arrange to take over custody.
