N.Y. man held in murder probe; Chief: Investigation may increase tensions in Hispanic
community
(Saturday, 13 May 2006) -
By ALAN GREGORYalangregory@standardspeaker.comFederal authorities are holding a Bronx, N.Y., man in
connection with the murder just after midnight Wednesday of 29-year-old Derek Kichline.
Hazleton Police Chief Robert Ferdinand on Friday identified Cesar Ariel Jaquez, 20, as a “person of
interest” in the close-range shooting death of Kichline.
The victim was shot once in the head near his East Chestnut Street home at about 11:40 p.m. Wednesday.
And the chief released a black-and-white photo of Jaquez, telling reporters that the man is in the custody of Immigration
and Customs Enforcement officials due to his status as an illegal alien.
But that’s all the chief would say about the man, noting that his department is “continuing an intensive and
exhaustive investigation” into the homicide.
He declined to comment several times when asked for additional details of Jaquez and the investigation.
Ferdinand also declined to comment when asked if an incident that occurred earlier in the evening Wednesday was
related to the shooting.
“I’m not going to comment about that, either way,” he said.
Nor would he discuss a television news report that another person who was with Kichline was wounded.
Investigators, meanwhile, are trying to locate two “additional suspects,” Ferdinand said.
They are two dark-skinned men, one wearing a plain white T-shirt and the other wearing a white T-shirt with a logo. Both
could still be in the Hazleton area, the chief said.
Both were seen running from the crime scene Wednesday night, police have said.
Luzerne County Coroner John Consalvo, who conducted an autopsy Thursday evening at Wilkes-Barre General
Hospital, said the victim was shot once and the bullet was not recovered.
County District Attorney Dave Lupas, whose staff is working with city detectives and state police criminal investigators
from Hazleton, said it will take “good old-fashioned police work” to solve the crime.
“This case is no different than any other homicide,” the county’s top prosecutor said.
But police can’t do it alone, he noted.
And he said people with information that could help investigators “have a moral obligation to come forward.”
Investigators have conducted a lengthy series of interviews with people while collecting “physical evidence”
in the case, Lupas said.
But Ferdinand warned that because the suspects are Hispanic, police will be contacting other Hispanics for leads as the
investigation proceeds.
“Although we will not be profiling anyone simply because they are Hispanic, it must be understood that since the
suspects are Hispanic, that is where our focus will be.”
He acknowledged that the investigation is “going to increase tensions with the Hispanic community,”
adding, “I ask all law-abiding Hispanic citizens to [help police].
“All law-abiding citizens, please remember that what separates us from these animals is our humanity and our
refusal to succumb to anger and hatred. Though understandable, those emotions only serve to make a bad situation
even worse,” the chief said.
“If you have any information that you believe may help in this investigation, please contact the Hazleton Police
Department and allow us to handle it appropriately. As always, all information we receive will remain confidential.
“I want to promote the [feeling] that you can trust the police department,” Ferdinand said.
Mayor Louis Barletta, standing at the chief’s side, said he’s concerned about the city’s image.
“Unfortunately, some bad people have moved here,” he said.
But that’s not an indictment of an entire ethnic community, the mayor said.
People who break the law – regardless of their ethnicity or cultural background – are “dirt
bags,” Barletta said.
“And we’re not going to let up” in going after them.
He said enforcement efforts will include infractions of health and safety ordinances, not just crime laws.
Ferdinand acknowledged that a citywide enforcement effort – of even the most minor of infractions, including
littering – is likely to stir resentment.
Police already have begun going after drug users, not just dealers. Three more drug arrests were announced Friday
morning.
“People in Hazleton need to be [aware] that we’re going to do this,” Barletta said of the enforcement
effort.
“We’re focused on getting [results], let’s say that,” Ferdinand said.
While speakers assembled for the news conference in the City Hall Council Chambers, police already were making their
presence known throughout Hazleton.
On the 400 block of South Poplar Street a police cruiser pulled up near a building where four or five people mingled on
the sidewalk.
Minutes later, two patrol cars and an unmarked police car stopped a vehicle on the 200 block of East Broad Street.
Officers examined registration papers that the driver held while remaining seated behind the wheel.
And minutes after the news conference, two officers stopped another motorist on North Wyoming Street.
The police chief vowed to throw all available resources into solving the crime.