Jerkera B. Battle, a 22-year-old Black woman from Allentown, Pennsylvania, was killed in the early morning hours of July 22, 2025, inside her apartment on the 700 block of West Turner Street. What began as a quiet morning in her home became a homicide scene after police were called for a report of a woman shot. Officers found Battle in the hallway of the apartment with multiple gunshot wounds, and she was pronounced dead at the scene.
The Lehigh County coroner later identified her and ruled her death a homicide, with reporting stating she suffered a fatal gunshot wound to the head.
Battle was remembered as a young mother whose life centered around her infant son, Noah, who was only about three months old. She was a Bethlehem native and a graduate of Liberty High School. Friends described her as joyful, compassionate, talkative, and generous, someone known for her laughter, her love of animals, and her dog Hope, whom she had trained herself. Her best friend said the two had known each other since third grade and spoke of Battle as someone who was “normal,” happy, kind, and devoted to the people she loved. Her obituary also identified her as the daughter of Jermaine Battle Sr. and the late Latoya Ellerby, and as the mother of Noah, whom it described as the pride of her life.
Investigators accused Battle's ex-boyfriend, Adam Makowka, 27, of South Whitehall Township, of carrying out the shooting. According to police and court-document accounts reported by local media, Makowka allegedly arrived at Battle's apartment building before dawn, wearing a sweatshirt and carrying a rifle case. Surveillance footage reportedly showed him outside the building around 3:45 a.m. before he disappeared down an alley. Police said he used the fire escape to reach roof access, entered the apartment through a roof access door, and then went inside while Battle, her baby, and another man were in the apartment.
A witness inside the apartment, identified in reports as Joshuah Hoffner, told authorities that Makowka was the shooter. Police said Makowka was armed with an AR-15 rifle and repeatedly shot Battle. He then allegedly pointed the rifle toward Hoffner inside Battle's bedroom and continued firing until the weapon ran out of ammunition. Hoffner reportedly grabbed the weapon during the attack. Battle's infant son was in the bedroom at the time, but the baby and Hoffner were reported to have survived physically unharmed. Police later recovered the rifle and rifle case, and reports said Makowka's sweatshirt was found on the roof.
After the shooting, Makowka allegedly fled through the front door of the apartment building and left the area. Authorities arrested him later that morning in Lansdowne, Delaware County, about 60 miles from Allentown. He was taken into custody at about 6:35 a.m. and was awaiting extradition back to Lehigh County. Police charged him with criminal homicide, attempted homicide or attempted criminal homicide, and two counts of aggravated assault. Reports also said investigators believed there had been a custody dispute involving Battle and Makowka over their infant son, and one account said court documents alleged Makowka went to the apartment intending to kill the baby and the man Battle was with.
The case was investigated by Allentown police, the Lehigh County Homicide Task Force, the Lehigh County District Attorney's Office, and the Lehigh County Coroner's Office. Online reports later indicated that Makowka's case was sent to Lehigh County Court after a preliminary hearing in October 2025. At the time of the available reporting, the public record described an arrest and charges, but did not show a conviction. Battle's family and friends were left to mourn a young woman whose life had only just begun to widen around motherhood, and whose death unfolded in the place where she and her baby should have been safest.
