In one of the four stories of mothers battling for their kids on ABC’s “Mother Undercover,” Raymond Pantoja’s gruesome murder outside a Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, nightclub in early April 2016 is discussed. While the police were unable to find any clues or suspects, Raymond’s mother persisted in her fight for justice, and around six months later, her son’s killer was apprehended. Here is everything we know about this occurrence in case you’re curious to learn more.
How Did Raymond Pantoja Die?
Lisa Espinosa described how his son Raymond “RJ” Pantoja, who was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, saved her life that day. I was immersed in narcotics for five years, she recounted. When Raymond was born, he helped me realise that this was my last chance and that I needed to get my life in order. She emphasised how RJ did it without saying a word and said, “It doesn’t mean that I love any of my children any less, but he (Raymond) made me see that ‘Mom, you need to change your life,’ without even speaking.”
“We had a special connection because I always felt like he had saved my life,” Lisa alleged. For me, he was a lifeline. She remembered how thrilled RJ, who was 19 at the time, was to hold his newborn daughter Johanna Nazzario Pantoja. When she was born, he said, “Mom, she’s mine, she’s really mine?” she giggled as she recalled. According to Lisa, it was similar to “a baby holding another baby.” She said, “She’s beautiful and the spitting image of him,” and said she could see her son in her granddaughter. Just staring at her eyes makes me feel like I’m staring at RJ.
The most significant item in Raymond’s life was his daughter, although his music was a close second. He was a rapper who went by the stage name “Hommi.” Hommi is short for homicide, which is strange, Lisa recalled. With his voice, he would declare his desire to murder others. It’s absurd that he discussed events taking place in metropolitan areas. He discussed narcotics, heroin, and the shooting or killing of people. But because Lisa forbade her children from using vulgarity, he kept a lot of his music hidden from his mother.
So I didn’t hear his songs till after he passed away, Lisa lamented. I wish I had listened to it. He would remark, “Mom, you’ll hear it when I get big one day.Basketball, video games, and spending time with his loved ones were among her son’s other pastimes. The programme emphasised Raymond’s popularity, his contagious grin, and his love for people close to him. He also enjoyed playing video games, watching basketball, and spending time with his family. During his youth, he also boxed.
When Raymond was detained in 2014 for selling marijuana right before the holidays, he had a troubled past. He was also imprisoned throughout the 2015 holiday season for breaking the terms of his probation by skipping the same court-mandated programmes he had already completed while detained. Lisa asserted that her son began working in construction in 2016 in an effort to start over. He came out in January, she continued. He had a strong commitment to upholding moral principles.
‘The Notebook,’ which he claimed reminded him of his high school sweetheart and ex-girlfriend Megan and their love story, was one of Raymond’s all-time favourite films, according to Lisa. He reportedly broke up with Megan because she wanted to go out to clubs, but he objected to the concept. Raymond “wasn’t one to go to clubs,” Lisa remarked. He frequently warned Megan, “You can’t just have fun at these clubs anymore… I’d prefer to unwind at home. Megan enjoyed going out to dance in clubs. Due to clubbing, he split up with his true love.
Because of this, she was shocked to learn that on April 10, 2016, at around 2:45 a.m., her 26-year-old son was fatally shot after engaging in a fistfight outside a Kensington nightclub. A fight between two groups that started inside the club and went outside onto Allegheny Avenue and B Street involved Raymond. The perpetrator emerged from the melee, approached Raymond, placed a 9-mm handgun on his left chest, and fired one deadly shot before vanishing. He was taken in an ambulance to Temple University Hospital, where he passed away from his wounds.
Who Killed Raymond Pantoja?
No one was prepared to come forward or act as a snitch despite the fact that there were numerous witnesses who observed the murder. Two of Raymond’s pals, who purportedly instigated the confrontation that resulted in the shooting, reportedly said they weren’t ready to speak with the police. They promised Lisa “street justice,” which she neither supported nor wanted. Raymond’s homicide inquiry grew stale without any leads or suspects. However, his mother was not willing to add him to Philadelphia’s 237 homicides in 2016 as another victim.
Lisa conducted her own research while monitoring social media sites, and she was shocked to learn that more than four people had captured the incident on camera. One person approached Raymond, and the man started to strike him, she said. When he attempted to lift an arm in his direction, Raymond hit him once. Someone in a hoodie simply strolled up and shot Raymond in the chest point blank as he attempted to straighten the man up. In one of these videos, Lisa claimed she caught a glimpse of the perpetrator’s face.
“Once I saw his face, that’s the image I have in my head constantly,” she recounted. That image is there even when I don’t want to think about it. The desperate mother investigated every comment, got in touch with everyone she could think of who might have seen what, distributed fliers on Allegheny Avenue, went to anti-violence gatherings, and sought to get more media and police attention. Investigators asserted that the mother’s tenacity paid off when, after six months, an eyewitness came forward, resulting in an arrest on October 26, 2016.
The authorities detained Giovanny Perales, who was 30 at the time, and charged him with murder and other connected offences based on the witness testimony. Giovanny was a drug dealer, according to one investigator, who also said the altercation could have been about anything, “from a push to a stare to a ‘you on my feet’ type of thing.” He had 299 grammes of crack and several assault weapons when the police apprehended him. For third-degree murder, Giovanny had consented to a sentence of 15 to 30 years. He received a 14–28-year sentence with a five-year probationary period.
“We had a special connection because I always felt like he had saved my life,” Lisa alleged. For me, he was a lifeline. She remembered how thrilled RJ, who was 19 at the time, was to hold his newborn daughter Johanna Nazzario Pantoja. When she was born, he said, “Mom, she’s mine, she’s really mine?” she giggled as she recalled. According to Lisa, it was similar to “a baby holding another baby.” She said, “She’s beautiful and the spitting image of him,” and said she could see her son in her granddaughter. Just staring at her eyes makes me feel like I’m staring at RJ.
‘The Notebook,’ which he claimed reminded him of his high school sweetheart and ex-girlfriend Megan and their love story, was one of Raymond’s all-time favourite films, according to Lisa. He reportedly broke up with Megan because she wanted to go out to clubs, but he objected to the concept. Raymond “wasn’t one to go to clubs,” Lisa remarked. He frequently warned Megan, “You can’t just have fun at these clubs anymore… I’d prefer to unwind at home. Megan enjoyed going out to dance in clubs. Due to clubbing, he split up with his true love.
