web1_IMG_2133.jpg

Snow causes several Luzerne County schools to dismiss early

web1_SWIMMING.jpg

Dallas swimming earns sweep of Hazleton Area

<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; Jorge Marrero ran for his life after the two bullets hit him.</p><p>Out of the Alter Street apartment and into the streets of Hazleton Marrero fled, prosecutors said Tuesday at the onset of his alleged killer&#8217;s trial, until he collapsed in the roadway, unable to escape his injuries or Rafael Mora-Polanco, who allegedly chased Marrero down and emptied another four rounds into his head.</p><p>Mora-Polanco, prosecutors said, shot Marrero a half dozen times on June 11, 2015, including one gunshot that struck the 35-year-old above his left eyebrow and a second that tore through his back. The final four each found Marrero&#8217;s head, prosecutors said.</p><p>The fatal shooting was allegedly preceded by an altercation that erupted inside an apartment on Alter Street in Hazleton and spilled outside, culminating in Marrero&#8217;s attempt to flee and his eventual collapse on West 4th Street.</p><p>Marrero, prosecutors said, ran as far as his body could take him.</p><p>&#8220;He ran until his body gave out. He ran out of time,&#8221; Luzerne County Assistant District Attorney Rachael Pugh said in her opening statement.</p><p>Mora-Polanco, 28, of Hazleton, was charged with criminal homicide for Marrero&#8217;s death &#8212; a shooting prosecutors have said was drug-related. According to court documents, a witness told invesitgators the pair allegedly feuded over a cocaine deal days earlier and that Mora-Polanco, who was high on crack, believed Marrero was trying to rip him off.</p><p>The case grabbed local headlines soon after, not only for the brutality of Marrero&#8217;s death, but because members of Mora-Polanco&#8217;s family were charged with witness intimidation for allegedly threatening potential witnesses. Two of the three people charged are awaiting trial while a third, Hilda Mora-Polanco, 26, is expected to plead guilty to a reduced charge following the conclusion of her brother&#8217;s trial.</p><p>Security remained heightened outside the Luzerne County courtroom Tuesday.</p><p>In his opening statement, defense attorney Frank McCabe told the jury of eight women and four men they will hear four inconsistent stories from four women who were present in the apartment as the tussle between Mora-Polanco and Marrero broke out. Three initially went to police, but a fourth didn&#8217;t come forward for nearly three weeks, McCabe said.</p><p>A fifth person, a man, was also present inside the apartment but was never interviewed, McCabe said, adding he&#8217;d let the details of the man&#8217;s whereabouts emerge during testimony.</p><p>The defense attorney asked jurors to pay close attention to the testimony of the four women, noting not one of them called 911 as Marrero was shot. Prosecutors, McCabe added, will present no DNA evidence linking Mora-Polanco to the shooting.</p><p>Testimony opened Tuesday morning with jurors hearing audio recordings of residents calling 911 to report gunfire.</p><p>One caller, Gloria McAlarney, testified she went outside her West 4th Street home after hearing what she thought were fireworks. She looked out the window and saw a man lying in the street, she said, sighing as she recanted her story to jurors. She said she called 911 and told them what she had seen.</p><p>&#8220;He&#8217;s still breathing, please hurry,&#8221; McAlarney can be heard saying in the recording. She winced and wept slightly as the recording played.</p><p>Another caller, 22-year-old Tyler Palermo, testified he was staying at a friend&#8217;s house on West 4th Street when he heard &#8220;rapid gunfire&#8221; from outside. He told a 911 operator the man was &#8220;still breathing, but he&#8217;s coming in and out of it.&#8221;</p><p>Marrero was pronounced dead about a half-hour after arriving at Lehigh Valley Hospital in Hazleton.</p><p>Jurors were later shown post-mortem photographs of the victim, including a close-up of his head, of which Dr. Cynthia Liskov noted a bullet hole and abrasions above his left eye.</p><p>Luzerne County Coroner Bill Lisman testified to the manner and cause of Marrero&#8217;s death, which he said was homicide by way of multiple gunshot wounds.</p><p>Nine witnesses and over 60 exhibits were presented in the trial&#8217;s first day.</p><p>Testimony is expected to resume Wednesday morning.</p><style>
.neFileBlock {
	margin-bottom: 20px;
}
.neFileBlock p {
	margin: 0px 0px 0px 0px;
}
.neFileBlock .neFile {
	border-bottom: 1px dotted #aaa;
	padding-bottom: 5px;
	padding-top: 10px;
}
.neFileBlock .neCaption {
	font-size: 85%;
}
</style>
<div class='neFileBlock'>
<div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/web1_Rafael-Mora-Polanco-6-14-15-cmyk.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Mora-Polanco </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/web1_Rafael-Mora-Polanco-6-14-15-cmyk.jpg</photo0><caption0>Mora-Polanco </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Joe Dolinsky</p><p>jdolinsky@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Joe Dolinsky at 570-991-6110 or on Twitter @JoeDolinskyTL</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Hazleton homicide trial: Prosecutors say victim, shot 6 times, ‘ran for his life’