Police: Man believed to have attacked couple with hammer before Berks County fire ID'd
UNION TOWNSHIP, Pennsylvania (WPVI) -- State police say a man who they believe beat an eastern Pennsylvania couple to death with a hammer and was then found dead in a fire in the garage has been identified as the woman's adult son.
Police in Berks County said Wednesday that DNA tests identified the third person found after the fire as 40-year-old Adam DeLuca, the son of 63-year-old Joanne DeLuca.
She and 60-year-old Ira Reed Jr. were found dead Nov. 23 in the Union Township home.
Police said it is believed Adam DeLuca poured a flammable liquid on himself and then set himself on fire in a detached garage.
Authorities also said multiple dogs were found with their throats slashed and two cats were stomped to death.
"It is the crazy world we live in. One of our veteran investigators said it was the worst crime scene he's ever seen," said State Police spokesperson David Beohm.
Neighbors said the three moved there several years ago from southern New Jersey after losing their home in Superstorm Sandy.
