Derry Township man accused of slaying Samantha Lang 16 years ago

Jul. 26—A man long suspected in the 2007 death of 22-year-old Samantha Lang was arrested by state police Wednesday on homicide charges.

Troopers believe Charles Earl Ream, 53, of Derry Township is responsible for Lang's death at her father's home.

Ream is being held without bail on charges of homicide, robbery, burglary and theft, according to online court records. He did not speak to reporters as he was led out of the Greensburg station to a police vehicle.

Over the past 16 years, investigators have renewed public efforts periodically in an effort to figure out who killed Lang on March 27, 2007. They and Lang's mother, Carol Polo, did just that last year, pleading for information in an effort to seek justice.

Lang was killed at the home on Route 982 near the Derry Township village known as Peanut. Her throat had been slit, and she was found about 9 p.m. in a pool of blood between the kitchen and living room. Details of an autopsy report in a criminal complaint filed against Ream indicate she was beaten, and one of her fingers was broken.

The home — which police described in court papers as a hub for drug activity — was ransacked and had a strong odor of marijuana. Police said a rear door apparently had been forced open, and a gray metal safe was left on a bed while a metal lock box was found on the back porch.

Lang lived there with her brother and their father, both of whom were incarcerated on unrelated charges at the time.

In the days afterward, state police interviewed Ream, who at the time was a drug user, according to the complaint. He told them he bought drugs from her the day of her death for $50.

State police arrested Ream not long after Lang's death. They filed a possession of drug paraphernalia case against him in June 2007 stemming from an incident in Derry Township on March 30, 2007, according to court records. He was sentenced to one year of probation.

A male witness told investigators on multiple occasions over the years that Ream intended to rob Lang of drugs by breaking her fingers, but she recognized him through a face covering, and he had to "take care of her," according to the affidavit. Police last talked to him in March 2022.

"The informant stated that Ream told him that the whole incident scared him, and it was messy," troopers said.

Two female witnesses also reported to police in the past couple of months that Ream confessed to killing Lang.

A 2004 graduate of Greater Latrobe High School, Lang had started a new job the week she died and was taking courses to become a paralegal.

Over the past 16 years, rewards for information — as much as $50,000 — have brought in more tips but never enough for police to make an arrest. The family consulted psychics in 2014 at the crime scene in an effort to crack the case.

Nine years ago, a Butler County psychic stood in the yard outside the home. She told Polo of a message she was receiving from her daughter: "Samantha says, 'Mom, you know who did it.'" Polo could not be reached Wednesday evening.

Ream was being held at Westmoreland County Prison. He did not have an attorney listed in online court records. A preliminary hearing is set for Aug. 9.

Ream served jail time in connection with a 2009 criminal trespass and theft case filed by Derry Borough police, according to court records. He made a final payment for costs and fees in that case in 2019.

Renatta Signorini is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Renatta by email at rsignorini@triblive.com or via Twitter .