In the early morning hours of May 1, 2015, the quiet of a Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania neighborhood was shattered by the sound of gunfire. Donald A. Don Bachman, a 49-year-old male resident, was returning to his home on Willow Street from his job as a master mechanic when he was fatally shot. A pillar in his community, Bachman was known for his community activism and his unwavering commitment to reporting unlawful activity to the authorities in an effort to keep his neighbors safe. His death was immediately considered a targeted act by law enforcement, sending a wave of fear and sadness through those who knew him as a dedicated family man and a guardian of their street.
The investigation into Bachman's murder spanned nearly four years, leaving his family and community searching for answers. The initial stages of the investigation yielded few public leads, though police did recover surveillance footage from a camera outside Bachman's home. The breakthrough in the cold case finally came in February 2019, when an arrest was made that shocked those who knew the family. Donald Bachman's own stepdaughter, Kendra Dias, then 24 years old, was taken into custody.
Dias was charged with conspiracy to criminal homicide and criminal solicitation to criminal homicide. According to court documents, investigators alleged that she had paid an individual to carry out the murder of her stepfather. While an arrest had been made in connection with the planning of the crime, the person who actually pulled the trigger remained at large, and the investigation continued. The motive behind the alleged murder-for-hire plot was not immediately made clear by the district attorney's office. Following her arrest, Dias was held in the Luzerne County Jail. She was later released on unsecured bail with the condition of wearing an ankle monitor and having no contact with witnesses or the Bachman family.
