Two brothers from New Jersey are facing homicide charges following the discovery of a man's body in a wooded area of Richland Township, a rural area located in upper Bucks County, prosecutors said.
Detectives reported the man's body was found around midnight along the 500 block of East Pumping Station Road, where a Pennsylvania State Trooper noticed a suspicious scene. The roadway was closed on Thursday as the investigation continued.
The victim, who appeared to have been stabbed multiple times, was identified as 26-year-old Kevin Rosero, of Somerset in central New Jersey.
District Attorney Matthew Weintraub identified the two brothers as 17-year-old Joshua Gamble and 19-year-old Anthony Gamble, both of Somerset.
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Around midnight, the state trooper observed two vehicles stopped within 100 feet of each other on the roadside. One of them, a Subaru with New Jersey plates, had its hazard lights flashing. The second vehicle, an Audi with Florida plates, was parked at a short distance.
One of the vehicles was registered to the Gamble brothers and the other was a rental car, Weintraub said.
In the woods nearby the Audi, the state trooper found Joshua Gamble lying on the ground apparently unharmed. The trooper detained Gamble at the scene. The teen allegedly had blood on his shoes and was wearing a plastic-coated work glove on his left hand. A similar glove was found in the woods where Gamble was first located on the ground. Gamble also allegedly possessed a Subaru key fob stained with what appeared to be blood.
As the troopers detained Gamble, they heard what sounded like another man running through the woods nearby, Weintraub said. The man, later identified as Anthony Gamble, ran towards the Subaru and was detained by troopers who had arrived as backup.
Anthony Gamble also allegedly had blood on his shoes and shirt. In his pocket, police found two work gloves similar to the ones found with his younger brother, Weintraub said.
Inside the Audi, police found "a substantial amount of blood" throughout the vehicle. A large knife was found on the passenger floor with blood on its blade and wooden handle, according to investigators.
When authorities entered the woods, they found the body of a deceased male a short distance from where Joshua Gamble had been lying on the ground and where the Audi was parked.
Rosero had stab wounds to his head, neck, chest and arm, investigators said.
The nature of the victim's relationship to the brothers and a possible motive in the stabbing remains under investigation.
Two cell phones and sanitizing wipes were found with the Audi and were collected along with other evidence evidence. Investigators said Joshua Gamble had purchased the wipes and work gloves at a 7-Eleven a short distance from the crime scene, about 20 minutes before the state trooper had first observed the unusual activity along the side of the road.
"This is exactly why the cops are on patrol," Weintraub said. "If they notice something askew — something that makes their sixth sense go off, if you will — this trooper did exactly what we hope any officer would do in this situation. Pull over, investigate and make sure that the public is safe. And take two dangerous people off the roadway."
Weintraub said the Gamble brothers have no apparent connection to the Richland area. Search warrants have been obtained for various evidence collected at the scene. Weintraub did not rule out cooperating with New Jersey authorities to execute additional warrants there, if necessary.
The Bucks County District Attorney's Office will presume jurisdiction in the case unless clear evidence emerges to indicate that the crime occurred elsewhere.
"There is a presumption that this homicide occurred in Bucks County," Weintraub said.
The two brothers each will be charged with criminal homicide, criminal conspiracy, possession of an instrument of crime and tampering with evidence. The younger Gamble brother will be charged as an adult.
Evidence collected in the case will be submitted for forensic analysis and additional updates will be provided by the Bucks County District Attorney's Office.
An investigation remains ongoing with Bucks County Detectives, Richland Township police and Pennsylvania State Police.