'Her Name Will Not Be Forgotten': Best Friend Remembers Jerkera Battle, 22, Killed In Allentown
The 22-year-old woman shot dead in her Allentown home this week is being remembered as a joyful, animal-loving young mom whose smile never failed to light up a room.
Jerkera B. Battle, a Bethlehem native and Liberty High School graduate, was found shot in the head on Tuesday, July 22, inside her home in the 700 block of W. Turner Street, as Daily Voice previously reported. Her ex-boyfriend, Adam Makowka, 27, has been charged with criminal homicide and is awaiting extradition to face charges in Lehigh County, authorities said.
Now, Battle’s best friend is speaking out.
'13 Years Of Non-Stop…
Mom Sells Daughter For Drugs, Allentown Man Picks Up Next Victim From School In Uber, DA Says
An Allentown man who raped a 12-year-old girl after she was sold to him for cash and drugs, and lured another from middle school using an Uber, will serve up to five decades in state prison, authorities announced on Tuesday, July 22.
Joshua Mickey Martel, 32, pleaded guilty to Rape of a Child, Trafficking in Individuals, and Statutory Sexual Assault, all felonies of the first degree, according to Lehigh County District Attorney Gavin P. Holihan.
Martel was sentenced to 21 to 50 years in state prison by Judge Robert L. Steinberg and must register for life as a sexual offender, the DA’s offic…
DHS Calls 'Allentown Grandfather' Story A Media Hoax, Says ICE Never Deported Him
A national outcry over the alleged secret deportation and death of an elderly man from Allentown has been debunked, the Department of Homeland Security announced on Monday, July 21.
Luis Leon, an 82-year-old Chilean national, was never deported to Guatemala, never arrested, and has no record of any green card appointment in Philadelphia on the day in question, according to DHS officials.
“ICE never arrested or deported Luis Leon to Guatemala. Nor does ICE ‘disappear’ people—this is a categorical lie,” said Assistant Secretary McLaughlin.
The Morning Call had published a report on Sunday, Ju…
Kutztown Basketball Star Tamir Johnson’s Shooting Ruled Justified In Road Rage Case: DA
No criminal charges will be filed in the shooting death of Kutztown University basketball star Tamir Johnson, Lehigh County District Attorney Gavin P. Holihan announced on Monday, July 21.
Johnson, 35, of Whitehall Township, was killed around 3:37 a.m. on Sunday, July 6, at 5th and Hamilton streets in Allentown after allegedly attacking another driver with a metal bat during a road rage incident.
The driver of the Honda Prius, identified only as John Doe, was deemed legally justified in shooting Johnson under Pennsylvania's “Stand Your Ground” law, investigators concluded.
🚗 What Happened?…
Scooter Rider Killed In Allentown Crash Identified As 52-Year-Old Rufus Martin: Coroner
A scooter rider who died after a crash with a car in Allentown has been identified as Rufus A. Martin, the Lehigh County Coroner announced on Thursday, July 17.
Martin, 52, of Allentown, was riding a scooter northbound on N. 8th Street just past W. Chew Street when he was hit by a vehicle around 5:30 p.m. on Friday, July 4, authorities said. The impact ejected Martin off the scooter, causing him to strike the vehicle and land on the roadway, according to the coroner’s report.
He was taken to Lehigh Valley Hospital–Cedar Crest, where he was pronounced dead at 8:46 p.m. on Tuesday, July 15.
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‘Los Ten’ Ditched Passenger Begging For Help In Fatal Bethlehem Crash: DA
A driver who vanished into the woods after smashing a stolen car into a utility pole—leaving his passenger behind to bleed and scream for help—has finally been arrested, Lehigh County prosecutors announced on Wednesday, July 16, 2025.
Jose Vladmir Jerez, 24, known by witnesses only as “Los Ten,” is now charged in the death of Ezequiel Hernandez-Cartagena, a 20-year-old from Allentown, who died after the wreck on Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024.
Jerez, also of Allentown, is facing the following charges:
Felony Accidents Involving Death or Personal Injury.
Felony Homicide by Vehicle.
Misdemeanor Invo…
Scooter Rider Struck, Killed; Next-Of-Kin Still Sought: Lehigh County Coroner
A man riding a scooter was killed in a crash in Allentown, and authorities are now trying to locate his next-of-kin, the Lehigh County Coroner’s Office announced on Wednesday, July 16.
The victim, a 52-year-old man tentatively identified as “John Doe,” was traveling along North 8th Street just north of West Chew Street when he was struck by a vehicle, according to the coroner’s report. The impact ejected him onto the vehicle and then onto the roadway.
The crash occurred around 5:30 p.m. on Friday, July 4, near the intersection of North 8th and West Chew Streets in Allentown, Lehigh County. …
