3 men robbed, tormented couple, then photographed the crime: Chester County DA

WEST CHESTER, Pennsylvania (WPVI) -- The Chester County District Attorney detailed a harrowing crime during a news conference on Tuesday where a couple was robbed, threatened, and tied up in their own home.

"The husband and wife woke up to one of the greatest nightmares that anyone could ever imagine: intruders in their homes. It was the start of two and a half hours of sheer torment," said Chester County District Attorney Christopher de Barrena-Sarobe.

According to police, three men identified as Louis Armstrong, Julio Mendoza, and Axel Reyes broke into the couple's home in Easttown Township around 2 a.m. on January 8.

The trio spent hours in the home threatening the couple and even suggesting they had kidnapped their daughter, authorities say.

They then forced the couple to go to their business, where they stole from a safe.

Eventually, the couple was left tied up in the attic. Police said the three men got away with $27,000 in cash, jewelry, and the couple's black Mercedes SUV.

It was the SUV that would be the trio's undoing, according to police. After getting a tip about the vehicle, a SWAT team raided a home in Northeast Philadelphia months later.

Inside, investigators said they found some of the stolen items, a receipt with the victims' information on it, and cash.

They also found phones filled with incriminating pictures.

"They thought Philadelphia was going to be a safe haven for them and what they were doing was captured on photographs," said de Barrena-Sarobe.

Some of the photos show the suspects holding up wads of cash, one suspect wearing a victim's watch, and another sitting on the hood of the stolen car holding cash and wearing a mask.

All of the photos are now evidence in the case against them.

"These defendants were flagrant," said de Barrena-Sarobe.

All three men are in custody. Investigators aren't sure why the victims were targeted but say they may have been stalked on social media.

Police are concerned the trio may have done this to other victims, and have a message for anyone coming to Chester County.

"For those criminals who look outside of Philadelphia, and look at the suburbs as a place where they could actually steal things, don't. This is how we operate," said de Barrena-Sarobe.