On May 23, 2020, 25-year-old Rolando Tubens was fatally shot outside a home in Allentown, PA. The incident occurred on the Saturday afternoon of Memorial Day weekend. Tubens, who was high on a combination of narcotics, approached and tried to enter the home of Alex De Jesus, 40, before sitting down in the street in front of a parked car. De Jesus, who was sitting outside with his baby son, retrieved his gun and went outside.
He struck Tubens in the head with the gun, and because his finger was on the trigger, the weapon discharged, killing Tubens.
De Jesus admitted to the shooting when police arrived at the scene, saying "I did it". He was charged with criminal homicide and illegal possession of a firearm. Security video footage showed Tubens shirtless and unarmed as De Jesus approached him with the gun. De Jesus initially negotiated a plea to third-degree murder with a sentence capped at 15 years, but prosecutors obtained juvenile court transcripts detailing De Jesus' past crimes, which affected the sentencing recommendations.
In July 2022, De Jesus was sentenced to 15-40 years in state prison. He apologized to Tubens' family during the sentencing, saying, "I can’t bring him back, but I’m sorry". The court found that De Jesus' cooperation and guilty plea were outweighed by his past criminal history, including participation in a series of carjackings in the Virgin Islands as a teenager.
The case highlights the tragic consequences of gun violence and the complexities of the legal system in addressing such incidents. Tubens' death and the subsequent legal proceedings have drawn attention to issues of criminal justice and the impact of past crimes on sentencing decisions.
