Last minute deal in Spring Brook Twp. shooting case averts murder trial

Joseph Kohut, The Times-Tribune, Scranton, Pa.
Updated ·2 min read

Sep. 25—A Scranton man admitted Monday he shot and killed a teenager last year in Spring Brook Twp., averting a first-degree-murder trial at the last moment.

Evan Daniel Wasko, 19, accepted a plea deal Monday moments before county prosecutors and his defense attorney, Robert Saurman, were set to begin picking jurors.

Wasko pleaded guilty to third-degree murder, admitting he killed Joseph Roberson on June 17, 2022, outside a drinking party at 71 Bowens Road.

The plea agreement calls for Wasko to be sentenced to the maximum penalty, which is 20 to 40 years behind bars, District Attorney Mark Powell said.

Roberson's family found the deal acceptable, Powell said.

"There are no winners," Powell said. "But it does bring closure and finality to the family."

Prosecutors asked Lackawanna County Judge Michael J. Barrasse to immediately sentence Wasko. Barrasse instead granted a defense request for a pre-sentence investigation.

A sentencing date is not yet set. Typically, sentencing happens about 90 days after a conviction.

Wasko shot Roberson with a .32-caliber handgun provided by 19-year-old Liam Patrick O'Malley, who pleaded guilty in June to two weapons related counts and one count of terroristic threats. O'Malley awaits sentencing.

Wasko, O'Malley and two others drove to an underage drinking party the night of the shooting to confront a person with whom O'Malley quarreled.

O'Malley pointed a pepper ball gun at Roberson. The two struggled. Wasko raised the handgun and fired a shot.

The bullet struck Roberson in the head. His death was ruled a homicide. Wasko was charged by state police with first-degree murder, which carries a punishment of life in prison.

After months of pre-trial wrangling, jury selection was set to begin Monday morning. Jurors assembled in the Lackawanna County Courthouse two floors below Barrasse's courtroom.

Ultimately, they were not needed for a murder trial. Before they could be called, the attorneys inked a deal.

A message left for Saurman later Monday was not returned.

Wasko is in the Lackawanna County Prison awaiting sentencing.

Contact the writer: jkohut@timesshamrock.com, 570-348-9100, x5187; @jkohutTT on Twitter.