Albert C. Rotz, a 72-year-old male from New Castle, Pennsylvania, was fatally shot in his home on Arlington Avenue on July 13, 2024. On that Saturday evening, Rotz and his long-time girlfriend, 66-year-old Rebecca Frank, were inside their residence when a relative, 35-year-old Corbin Blake Partin, entered the home. Neighbors who were attending a pool party next door reported hearing an argument coming from the house shortly before gunshots rang out.
Following the sound of a door slamming and a vehicle driving away, Rebecca Frank emerged from the house, wounded, and told the partygoers that Partin had shot them. While first responders attended to Frank, who was on the back porch, Albert Rotz was discovered deceased on the living room floor. Frank was transported to a local hospital where she later succumbed to her injuries.
The investigation quickly focused on Corbin Partin, who was located and apprehended at his parents' nearby home on Beckford Street on the same day. At the scene of the shooting, investigators found a percussion cap, which is consistent with the firing of a black powder or cap and ball weapon. A subsequent search of Partin's residence revealed boxes for two such firearms, with one of the guns missing. During questioning, Partin, who was not legally permitted to own firearms, admitted to having a black powder gun but denied any involvement in the shootings, claiming his family often blamed him for things.
Partin was arrested and charged with two counts of criminal homicide for the deaths of Albert Rotz and Rebecca Frank and was held in the Lawrence County Jail without bail. In August 2025, Corbin Blake Partin pleaded guilty to two counts of third-degree murder. He was subsequently sentenced to serve 35 to 70 years in prison for the killings.
