DA: NJ man charged in stabbing death of Berks County man
BERN TOWNSHIP, Pa. - Prosecutors have charged a New Jersey man in the murder of an elderly Berks County man two weeks after a body was found in the woods on a property in Bern Township.
Raphael Perez-Rodriguez, 29, was charged with three counts of murder and charges related to the stabbing death of 76-year-old Dennis Fink.
Detectives say Perez-Rodriguez became a person of interest after he was arrested in Reading on July 16 for driving a stolen car with several guns and two knives inside. During the investigation, officers reportedly found several items belonging to Fink inside the vehicle, including a laptop and wallet.
Authorities then went to Fink's house on Tully Road, but nobody was home. The following day officers were unable to locate Fink and issued a missing persons report. That night, Fink's body was found partially decomposed and covered in brush in the woods on Fink's property.
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An autopsy later revealed that Fink was stabbed multiple times a day before the body was found. Prosecutors say Perez-Rodriguez admitted to the murder during an interview. He also admitted to placing his blood-stained shoes inside a duffle bag and leaving the bag inside Fink's home.
During a Wednesday afternoon press conference, officials said that Perez-Rodriguez is also being investigated for an alleged burglary at a funeral home during which several shots were fired at Reading police officers.
Perez-Rodriguez is being held at Berks County jail.
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