On the evening of April 6, 2020, 58-year-old Kenneth Knibiehly, a male, tragically lost his life at his home in Albrightsville, Pennsylvania. The tranquility of the evening was shattered when a knock came at the door. At the time, Knibiehly was at home with his father and his girlfriend, Donna Swanson. The dogs began to bark, signaling the arrival of a visitor.
Knibiehly went downstairs to answer the door and returned a minute later to retrieve a handgun and a cordless phone before going back downstairs.
Swanson later recounted to investigators that she heard what sounded like a normal conversation between Knibiehly and the man at the door. Suddenly, the conversation was cut short by a single gunshot. Rushing downstairs, she discovered Knibiehly on the floor in the doorway with a fatal gunshot wound to his head. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
The investigation into the shooting quickly uncovered a complex and volatile love triangle. Both Knibiehly and his alleged killer, 66-year-old John Anthony Martocci of Roseto, had been involved in an on-again, off-again relationship with Swanson for the preceding two years. Investigators believe the motive for the killing was a potent mixture of revenge and jealousy. It was revealed that Knibiehly had previously attempted to expose Martocci's affair with Swanson to Martocci's wife. Text messages from Martocci to Swanson also indicated his unhappiness with her ongoing relationship with Knibiehly.
Surveillance footage from a neighbor's camera showed Martocci's dark SUV near Knibiehly's residence around the time of the shooting. Although Martocci initially denied being at the scene, he later admitted to driving to Knibiehly's home, parking nearby, and approaching the house. A search of Martocci's residence uncovered a handgun that matched the caliber of the weapon used in the killing. Martocci, a former Roseto borough councilman and volunteer firefighter, was arrested and charged with homicide.
In March 2022, John A. Martocci pleaded guilty to a charge of third-degree murder. The victim's family agreed to the plea deal. In July 2022, a judge sentenced Martocci to 12 to 24 years in a state prison for the shooting death of Kenneth Knibiehly.
