MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Pa. (KYW Newsradio) — The 16-year-old son of an advocate for the homeless in Pottstown has pleaded guilty to shooting and killing a man who was living in a tent encampment last year.
Thomas Niarhos pleaded guilty to third-degree murder, admitting he shot 39-year-old Jeremiah Hawkins in the face around noon on Nov. 22, 2023, near the Pottstown Train Station at Hanover and High streets. Hawkins had an apartment in Germantown but his family says he preferred to live with friends in an encampment in Pottstown.
After the shooting, witnesses said Niarhos yelled that Hawkins had raped a 14-year-old. Authorities said they had previously investigated those claims but the girl’s family did not want to pursue criminal charges…