Man wanted in woman’s Pennsylvania murder found dead in Alabama

A man wanted in connection with a fatal shooting in Pennsylvania has been found dead in Cullman following an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to officials.

Michael Anthony Boccia, 36, was the subject of a manhunt following the Monday morning death of 37-year-old Keshia M. Gonzalez in Manheim Borough, Pa. The incident began around 7:30 a.m. Monday when police were dispatched to an apartment on North Main Street after reports of gunfire and a woman pleading for assistance. Officers arrived to find Gonzalez suffering from multiple gunshot wounds; she was pronounced dead at the scene.

The Investigation and Pursuit

According to the Lancaster County District Attorney’s Office, Boccia contacted the Manheim Borough Police Department at approximately 11 p.m. Monday, threatening to take his own life. Law enforcement authorities tracked Boccia to Cullman, Alabama.

Cullman police located the suspect in his 2013 Toyota Avalon, which was backed into a parking space near the Cullman Police Department on Northcrest Dr. N.W. with the lights off. Despite officers' commands for Boccia to exit the vehicle, the encounter ended when he sustained a self-inflicted gunshot wound. He was transported to Cullman Regional Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead at 11:39 p.m.

Details of the Pennsylvania Incident

Surveillance footage and witness testimony provided a harrowing timeline of the events in Pennsylvania. An eyewitness attempted to assist Gonzalez after hearing her calls for help, but was confronted by Boccia, who pointed a handgun at them before retreating into the apartment. Shortly after, the witness heard three gunshots. Investigators later recovered shell casings from the scene.

Evidence revealed that a maroon sedan—consistent with the vehicle registered to Boccia—arrived at the apartment at 7:20 a.m. Audio from surveillance captured the sounds of the shooting at 7:30 a.m., followed by a figure fleeing the residence and driving away. Multiple family members reportedly received calls from Boccia that day in which he admitted to having done something wrong.

Before his death, Boccia faced charges of criminal homicide, possessing a prohibited firearm, simple assault, and carrying a firearm without a license. The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency is currently investigating the circumstances of his death. No police officers fired their weapons during the encounter in Cullman.

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