Two Men Arrested and Charged with Murder in Reading’s First Homicide of the Year

Two individuals are currently detained at Berks County Prison, facing murder charges for their alleged involvement in the shooting of a 47-year-old man. This incident marks the first homicide in Reading for the year.
The suspects, Julio Nival, 19, from Reading, and Angelo Delgado, 18, from Bronx, N.Y., were arraigned before District Judge Alvin B. Robinson in Reading Central Court on Thursday night. They have been denied bail and will remain in custody until their scheduled hearing.
The Reading police have filed charges against Nival and Delgado, including first- and third-degree murder, conspiracy, and other related offenses. The charges stem from the fatal shooting of Eric Ferrer on January 18. Ferrer was shot near his residence on the 300 block of Washington Street.
Unfortunately, no further details regarding the arrests have been made available at this time. It is important to note that a third potential suspect involved in the shooting has not yet been charged.

The shooting Incident

According to the criminal complaints:
On the evening of January 18, at approximately 7:30 p.m., Eric Ferrer was returning to his apartment at Washington Towers, located at Fourth and Washington streets. As Ferrer was driving, his vehicle was ambushed by three males, two of whom were wearing masks. These individuals walked in front of Ferrer’s car, causing him to stop and let them pass.
Upon reaching the parking garage of the apartment building, Ferrer and his passenger noticed the three males positioned on the sidewalk on the south side of the street. As they turned their attention to the suspects, the suspects began firing shots at Ferrer’s car.
Video footage from a city pole-mounted camera captured the moment when Ferrer’s car abruptly entered the garage and the three suspects scattered. Additional footage from a high-rise apartment building showed the suspects leaving a residence on the opposite side of the street just before the shooting took place.
Police promptly responded to the incident and discovered Ferrer’s car, which had sustained multiple bullet holes, in the garage. Tragically, Ferrer was found mortally wounded in the back seat and was rushed to Reading Hospital, where he later succumbed to his injuries.
During the investigation, authorities recovered a total of 10 shell casings from three different firearms. Five of these bullets struck Ferrer’s vehicle.

Identification and Progress in the Investigation

Two of the suspects fled into a nearby courtyard and initially headed west before changing direction and heading east. As they passed a convenience store at Fourth and Washington streets, their faces were captured by the store’s exterior security camera. These individuals were later identified as Julio Nival and Angelo Delgado.
Further developments in the investigation revealed that on January 18, at approximately 2:15 a.m., a Ford F-150 pickup truck resembling one of the suspects arrived at the apartment building. The driver entered the convenience store and made a purchase.
Continuing their efforts, patrol officers stopped the same vehicle on February 17 in the 600 block of Maple Street for reasons unspecified. During the stop, investigators recognized the driver and passenger as the individuals depicted in the security camera footage – Julio Nival and Angelo Delgado. Both suspects willingly provided their cellphone numbers to the police.
Investigators also obtained a search warrant to trace the suspects’ phone calls and movements before and after the shooting incident. Based on cell tower pings, it was determined that the suspects’ cellphones were in use near the scene around the time of the shooting, and they made calls to each other shortly thereafter.
Furthermore, investigators discovered that Julio Nival and Angelo Delgado are half-brothers.