KUTZTOWN, Pa. – Kutztown University (KU) sophomore Kyle Quinn, 19, was beaten to death by three Allentown residents in the downtown area.
According to news reports, when a police officer appeared on the scene approximately before 2:30 a.m., he saw Quinn lying in a pool of blood on the sidewalk, and immediately arrested the three suspects, who were not students. Police tried to stop the bleeding, but an hour after being brought to a nearby hospital, Quinn was pronounced dead.
The suspects are identified as Timothy R. Gearhart, 23; Terry D. Kline, 22; and his brother Kenneth R. Kline, 21. Having no connection with Quinn, police stated that the three suspects randomly chose Quinn as their victim. Authorities are still investigating what the motive might have been for the attack.
The three men were charged with aggravated assault, simple assault and conspiracy. According to the district attorney, homicide charges will be filed depending on the results of the autopsy report.
Before the altercation, the three suspects were with two other men who had driven with them from Allentown to a Kutztown bar. On their way home, Derik Houser, one of the men who had been with the suspects, says the three men “got out of the car and started causing a problem with a group of kids.” He also says he witnessed Kline punch Quinn and yell obscenities at him.
Other witnesses reported hearing screaming and yelling, and seeing Quinn lying motionless on the sidewalk.
Quinn had only been on campus for less than two weeks, per the university. He had recently transferred after taking classes at Penn State.
The town’s first homicide since 1982, students, staff, and residents plan to start a neighborhood watch. Kutztown’s president, F. Javier Cevallos, informed students of Quinn’s death through E-mail.
