WILKES-BARRE, Pa. — After two hours of deliberation, a jury has found Reynaldo Mercado guilty of all charges, including first-degree murder, robbery, theft, arson, and other charges relating to the murder of Fred Boote.
Boote was found stabbed to death in his Wilkes-Barre home in September of 2018.
Louisa Alex Reyes, who was 14 at the time of the murder, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in September for her involvement in Boote's death.
Prosecutors proved that on the night of September 14, 2018, Mercado and Reyes planned to rob Boote at the victim's home in Wilkes-Barre, but it turned deadly after Mercado beat and stabbed Boote 50 times and then tried to light Boote's body on fire and destroy evidence of the crime.
"This was a brutal murder that took the life of a father of four, and that's a loss that we will never be able to make up," said Luzerne County Assistant District Attorney Tony Ross.
Reyes took the witness stand Tuesday, saying that Mercado attacked Boote for no reason. She retrieved a knife, and he used it to kill Boote.
On the third and final day of the trial, Mercado took the stand, saying he was defending Reyes' honor as Boote was trying to sexually assault her.
"That just belies the logic of their ridiculous accusation against Mr. Boote. So no, there was never any credence to that. We never believed it, and obviously, the jury didn't either," Ross said.
After two hours of deliberation, the jury found Mercado guilty of first-, second-, and third-degree murder, as well as robbery, theft, arson, abuse of corpse, tampering of evidence, and conspiracy charges.
The family of Fred Boote sent this statement to Newswatch 16:
"We would like to express our gratitude to the district attorney's office, detectives, Wilkes-Barre, and state police that worked tirelessly on bringing justice to our father, and our family. We are grateful to our community and the continuous love and support we have received. We understand this was a loss to many in our community. Their support has been monumental in carrying our hearts, and our lifting our spirits through this awful experience."
Mercado was escorted out of the Mohegan Sun Arena and back to the Luzerne County Correctional Facility after the trial.