Two Reading teens accused of killing another city teen during a marijuana scavenger hunt in City Park will see their case go to district court.
Jasir Escoto, 16, and Luis Rios, 18, were each held in court after preliminary hearings Wednesday before Berks County District Judge Carissa L. Johnson.
Escoto, address unavailable, and Rios of the 700 block of Bingaman Street are each charged with first- and third-degree murder, conspiracy to commit first- and third-degree murder, robbery resulting in serious bodily injury, theft, conspiracy to commit robbery causing serious bodily harm, conspiracy to commit robbery and carrying a firearm without a permit.
Rios is being held in the Berks County Jail without bail. Escoto is being held in jail in lieu of $1 million bail.
According to the police:
Rios and Escoto are accused of killing 19-year-old Rafael Tinoco-Villagomez in the city park on July 10.
Tinoco-Villagomez had gone to the park after receiving a notification on a social media app informing him and other subscribers that marijuana was hidden somewhere in the park. The illegal scavenger hunts are known as ‘stash and grabs’.
He found the stash of drugs at around 9.25pm ​​and sent photos to friends to prove he had succeeded in the search. Just a minute or so later he called a friend and said he had been shot.
A witness who was in City Park at the time of the shooting saw two men — later determined to be Rios and Escoto — chasing the victim. During the chase he heard one of them say: “Give it to me. I’m going to shoot you.’ That was followed by a shot.
The suspects fled the park immediately after the gunfire, with witnesses telling police they left on a mountain bike and an electric scooter.
A short time later, two men matching these descriptions were seen on video purchasing cigar wrappers at a store at Bingaman and Spring Garden streets. Cigar wrappers are often used to smoke marijuana, researchers noted.
Police were able to determine that the suspects were Rios and Escoto and interviewed both teens.
Rios said he and Escoto participated in multiple stockpile drives around the city on July 10.
Rios initially said he had not been outside his home after 5 p.m. that day. But after being confronted with video evidence showing him being in the area surrounding the park around the time of the shooting, he eventually admitted that he and Escoto had agreed to meet at the park for another scavenger hunt.
Rios said he arrived on an electric scooter, while Escoto arrived on a mountain bike.
While searching for the marijuana, they discovered that another player had found it. Rios claimed they left at that point.
In a separate interview, Escoto also insisted that the couple left after the marijuana was found by someone else.
However, both teens admitted they were angry because they had failed to find the marijuana first.
Both Rios and Escoto will be formally arraigned before Berks County Judge Scott E. Lash on November 30.
