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Victims Identified in Double Homicide

HUNLOCK TOWNSHIP — A father and son are dead, and two people are in custody. Holly Crawford and James Roche of Ross Township were arrested in connection w...

HUNLOCK TOWNSHIP -- A father and son are dead, and two people are in custody.

Holly Crawford and James Roche of Ross Township were arrested in connection with the double homicide.

State police said they were called to a home on Sunset Lake Road in the Hunlock Creek area early Wednesday afternoon.

There, they said they found Ronald Evans, 73, known as Barney, and his son, Jeff Evans, 43, shot to death.

Troopers began to search for Holly Crawford and her boyfriend, James Roche, of nearby Ross Township.

Fearing they were armed and dangerous, nearby schools were put on lockdown and people were told to stay in their homes.

"He just said that there were people on the loose that they wanted to capture, and go back up into my house and lock the doors and lock the windows and stay inside," said Pat Wasiakowski of Ross Township.

News of the double homicide made some folks nervous.

"Back years ago, it was calm and peaceful, but now you can't walk down the street without getting shot," said Rich Deem of Berwick.

Investigators said, in a matter of hours, James Roche and Holly Crawford were found.

State troopers said they were hiding in a wooded area near their home on Dobson Road in Ross Township.

Crawford has been in trouble before.

In 2010, she was convicted of animal cruelty for piercing kittens and trying to sell them as goth kittens.

"I knew she had some problems, and I knew James had given some of the neighbors up that way some trouble with drinking and guns, so yeah, it's not a complete surprise," said Wasiakowski.

Emory Kocher said he was best friends with Jeff Evans for years.

"Total devastation. He was like my brother. The father, they were both good people. They wouldn't hurt nobody," said Emory Kocher of Kingston.

Kocher said Barney Evans had a personal relationship with Crawford, and when he went to her home on Easter Sunday, a man there put a gun to Evans' head and threatened to kill him.

"The boyfriend came out with a gun and put it to his head, and said he was gonna blow his brains out next time he saw him, and Barney, he said he called the police, and the girlfriend made it look like Barney was the liar for being there, so then Barney called me up and asked me about a certain gun, and I told him I could get him a gun, and Monday came and that was the last time I talked to him in the morning," said Kocher.

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