A week after one man was convicted and another pleaded guilty in a 2024 fatal shooting at an Allentown park, a fourth person has been charged in the case.
Joel Garcia-Paulino, 22, of Allentown, was arrested Friday and is charged with homicide in the June 1, 2024, shooting at Fountain Park that killed Angel Martinez-Velez, according to a news release from the Lehigh County District Attorney’s Office. Garcia-Paulino is also charged with criminal conspiracy to commit homicide and tampering with evidence.
Martinez-Velez, 28, of Allentown, died from multiple gunshot wounds on the basketball court of the park on Marin Luther King Jr. Drive.
Just last week, another man, Grelvis Estevez Cabrera, 29, of Bethlehem, was convicted of first-degree criminal homicide and tampering with evidence after a weeklong trial. He faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison without parole, the DA’s office said.
Another defendant, Carlos N. Landesta-Agramonte, 20, of Allentown, pleaded guilty Sept. 29 to third-degree murder and conspiracy. He faces up to 40 years in prison.
A third defendant, Wilmer E. Marte-Tavarez, 23, of Lords Valley, Pike County, was arrested in July and is awaiting trial. District Attorney Gavin Holihan previously identified him as the shooter.
All four men are alleged to have fled Fountain Park after the shooting, and city cameras recorded two vehicles traveling together at a high rate of speed, authorities said. Police used the cameras to identify the vehicles, locate them, and eventually track down the suspects.
Cameras also showed the man later identified as Garcia-Paulino help the other men remove items from the cars shortly after the shooting, authorities said.
A witness told police that prior to the shooting, he was at an apartment in Allentown where several people discussed plans for the shooting. That witness identified Garcia-Paulino as being present at that meeting, along with Estevez-Cabrera and Carlos Landesta-Agramonte, according to Holihan.
Garcia-Paulino is being held at Lehigh County Jail without bail. Estevez Cabrera and Landesta-Agramonte are both scheduled to be sentenced Nov. 25.
https://www.mcall.com/2025/10/10/allentown-fountain-park-fatal-shooting-fourth-arrest/
