A 17-year-old Pennsylvania boy used a knife to kill his ex-girlfriend and her mother, then stole the mother’s car and crashed it at high speed, gravely injuring a 14-year-old girl with him, authorities said Tuesday.
John Derwin Bradley was arrested at his home Tuesday and charged as an adult with killing 16-year-old Rianna Lynn Glass and her mother, 39-year-old Rosalyn “Rose” Siobal Glass. He also was charged with theft, and sent without bail to Northampton County Jail. Court papers did not list an attorney for him.
At a news conference, Northampton County District Attorney Terry Houck laid out the grim details of Thursday’s double homicide on the 1100 block of Railroad Street in North Catasauqua, saying authorities made the case through evidence including DNA and neighborhood surveillance videos.
Bradley was the ex-boyfriend of Rianna Glass, Houck said. The two broke up in August after Bradley allegedly cheated on Rianna. The killings happened hours after Rianna told Bradley she was seeing someone else.
About 8:45 p.m. Sept. 13, Rianna spoke with a friend over a video call, telling her Bradley was coming over, court documents say. About four hours later, early Thursday, the same friend missed a call from Rianna, but received a text message saying, “He won’t leave the house.”
Nearby surveillance footage showed Bradley walking toward the home not long after 9 p.m. Wednesday. A separate camera showed him walking to the rear of the home.
About 2:30 a.m. Thursday, footage captured a 14-year-old girl from Orefield outside the home. About an hour later, Bradley and the girl are seen walking toward Arch Street, where Rosalyn Glass normally kept her vehicle, charging documents state.
Bradley’s phone location data showed he was near the Glass home and his phone had connected to Rosyln Glass’s car, police said.
The car, a Nissan Murano, was found crashed about 6 a.m. in the 2000 block of Spring Valley Road in Upper Saucon Township, about 15 miles from North Catasauqua. Bradley and the girl were ejected from the car, according to court documents.
Bradley was found near a tree, with a knife close by, police said. Investigators found his DNA and the DNA of Rianna and Rosalyn Glass on the knife, Houck said.
Bradley and the girl were hospitalized for their injuries from the crash. The girl was taken to Children’s Hospital in Philadelphia with injuries Houck described as “extraordinary.” He did not know the relationship between Bradley and the girl.
Houck said the vehicle was going very fast at the time of the crash. When asked if Bradley intentionally crashed the car, he said investigators are still looking into it. The DA also said it was not clear if the girl was in the home during the killings.
Additionally, it is not clear how they got to the house that night, he said.
Court documents state borough police went to the Glass home about 7:30 a.m. Thursday after getting a call asking them to contact the residents there. An officer was not able to reach anyone.
Four hours later, police received a call that someone was found unresponsive at the home. Rosalyn Glass was found at the top of the staircase. She had lacerations to her face and chest, and police saw a large amount of blood nearby.
Rianna was found laying facedown on the floor of an upstairs bedroom, with blood under her body, court documents state.
They were pronounced dead just after 1 p.m. by Northampton County Coroner Zachary Lysek, who ruled their deaths homicides caused by sharp-force trauma. Rianna also had “compression” or strangulation marks around her neck.
In the days following the incident, investigators didn’t release much information outside of the cause of the deaths, noting that there was no danger to the community.
Houck said the delay stemmed from multiple factors, including the need to make family notifications, the involvement of juveniles and a desire that no one rush to judgment.
“The minute you start trying things in the press, it taints the investigation,” he said.
He credited Chief Deputy District Attorney William Blake and state police, saying they did a quick and professional job in the investigation.
Court documents obtained Monday show Rianna Glass was involved in an earlier police incident in South Whitehall Township with someone identified by the initials “J.B.” Police said she was threatened with a knife Sept. 8. The DA said investigators are looking into that.
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