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Folk fusion artist Amos Lee to perform at F.M. Kirby Center in Wilkes-Barre

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Final Four table set

<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; A drug dealer who killed a longtime friend turned competitor in a bid to eliminate him from the Hazleton drug scene pleaded guilty to third-degree murder Monday and was immediately sentenced to 20 to 40 years in state prison.</p><p>Jancarlos Perez, 23, of West Hazleton, admitted to killing 23-year-old Jose Alberto Concepcion, of Hazleton, a rival dealer found with a gunshot wound to the head in the Humboldt Industrial Park in January 2016. The county coroner later determined Concepcion had been shot a total of seven times.</p><p>As Perez was led out of the courthouse, he told reporters he pleaded guilty to the murder charge so he could see his kids again someday.</p><p>&#8220;If it ain&#8217;t life, it ain&#8217;t long,&#8221; he said of his sentence.</p><p>The &#8220;overwhelming&#8221; circumstantial evidence left Perez likely facing life in prison had the case gone to trial, said his attorney, Jack McMahon.</p><p>McMahon said the &#8220;tension and pressure&#8221; of being a drug dealer caused Perez to make a poor decision and kill his childhood friend. He said Perez was offered a fair deal and took it to begin taking steps toward making better life choices.</p><p>&#8220;They were best friends,&#8221; McMahon said.</p><p>&#8220;Whatever happened in that moment, I don&#8217;t know,&#8221; he added. &#8220;I guess none of us will ever know. That makes this doubly tragic, that they were so close.&#8221;</p><p>Prosecutor Mamie Phillips noted: &#8220;This is just another example of how drug dealing is dangerous and violent and leads to consequences that people don&#8217;t always consider, which is this homicide This is the outcome of the dangerous lifestyle.&#8221;</p><p>Prosecutors say while Perez claimed to be Concepcion&#8217;s friend, he tried to set up Concepcion in 2015 by telling police where and when he could be found in possession of a large amount of heroin. Concepcion was subsequently arrested that year in the same spot where his body was found.</p><p>Both dealers bought from the same supplier, prosecutors say, but Concepcion was the more &#8220;accomplished&#8221; of the two. Prosecutors say Perez turned to murder when Concepcion&#8217;s arrest didn&#8217;t remove him from the picture.</p><p>The day Concepcion&#8217;s body was discovered, a vehicle belonging to his girlfriend was found burned in a parking lot along Club 40 Road in Hazleton, police said. Investigators learned Concepcion was in possession of the vehicle earlier that day.</p><p>Witness Kevin DeJesus told police he and Perez bought a plastic container and gasoline, and he watched Perez set fire to the vehicle.</p><p>Perez showed investigators a threatening text message he was sent, but it was later determined he&#8217;d sent the message himself from another phone in an attempt to throw investigators off his trail, Phillips said in court Monday.</p><p>Investigators executing a search warrant at residences linked to Perez found a .38-caliber revolver, which police say was reported stolen in August, concealed in a box of baby wipes.</p><p>Perez told investigators where the gun was and that he wiped it clean of fingerprints. He allegedly admitted to flushing the bullets, including a spent casing, down the toilet. Investigators later hired a plumber and retrieved two .38-caliber bullets.</p><p>Phillips said Concepcion&#8217;s family was aware of the plea deal but declined to attend Monday&#8217;s hearing.</p><p>Counts of reckless burning, receiving stolen property, and evidence tampering were withdrawn in exchange for Perez&#8217;s plea to the murder charge.</p><p><ins>For other local crime stories, <a href="https://www.timesleader.com/crime" target="_blank">click here</a>.</ins></p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Perez </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/web1_Perez_Jancarlos_toned-5.jpg</photo0><caption0>Perez </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 drug dealer admits to killing childhood friend, gets 20 to 40 years