Demetrios George Kalathas, a 37-year-old male of Greek ethnicity from Orrstown, PA, was found dead on November 17, 2019, in the trunk of his own car in Lurgan Township, Franklin County. The case was ruled a homicide after it was determined that Kalathas had been shot multiple times. The Pennsylvania State Police launched a homicide investigation and identified Justin Lee Hockenberry, a 36-year-old man from Orrstown, as a person of interest in the case.
Justin Hockenberry was later
charged with first-degree murder. According to court documents, Hockenberry admitted to shooting Kalathas near a pond on his property and then placing the body in the trunk of Kalathas's car before driving it to the Lions Club parking lot. The motive for the shooting was linked to a drug deal gone wrong, as Kalathas had gone to Hockenberry's home to collect $800 owed to him for drugs.
Hockenberry faced additional charges of abuse of a corpse, tampering with evidence, and possession of a controlled substance. He was apprehended by the Pennsylvania State Police after a brief search and taken into custody. The investigation revealed that Kalathas and Hockenberry had known each other for about 20 years and had a history of buying and selling drugs.
The case brought significant attention to the normally quiet community of Orrstown, PA, and the Pennsylvania State Police continued to seek information from the public regarding Hockenberry's whereabouts and any additional details related to the incident.
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