LANCASTER COUNTY, Pa.– Four men are facing charges in connection to a 2016 homicide in Salisbury Township.
Kristopher Smith, 42, Christopher Lyles, 32, Brandon Bills, 36, and Michael Baker, 39, all face robbery and homicide charges after allegedly shooting 52-year-old Dennis Pitch to death during a robbery in the 5000 block of Timothy Drive in December 2016.
According to the criminal complaint, Pitch had told several people he intended to withdraw a large amount of money from his retirement account in the days leading up to his death.
One of the suspects, Smith, allegedly knew Pitch and was aware of his plans to withdraw the money. Smith allegedly told the other suspects they were going to take it, the criminal complaint says. The four men drove to a Sunoco gas station near the victim’s home, and later to the parking lot of a nearby church, according to the criminal complaint.
According to police, Smith, Lyles and Baker then got out of the car, removed guns from the trunk, and entered the victim’s home while Bills remained with the car. Bills later told police that he heard several gunshots coming from inside the home, and the other three suspects returned to the car a short time later. Smith allegedly told Bills, “It didn’t go as planned,” the criminal complaint says.
Smith and the other two suspects then drove away, while Bills remained behind and ran into the residence, according to police.
Later, Bills returned to his home, where several witnesses told police they heard a visibly shaken Bills say he had been involved in “some crazy s***.”
Surveillance footage from the Sunoco station and the Grace Tabernacle Church showed the suspects’ vehicle, a light-colored, four-door sedan, entering both parking lots prior to the murder, the criminal complaint says.
Police also accessed Baker’s cell phone location data, which revealed that Baker was in the Philadelphia area prior to the homicide. The data shows he drove to the Narvon area at the time of the homicide, then returned to the Philadelphia area, the criminal complaint says.
