Samantha Lang: Man charged in 2007 cold case killing of Westmoreland County woman
GREENSBURG, Pa. (KDKA) — Authorities have charged a man in a 2007 cold case killing of a Westmoreland County woman.
On March 27, 2007, 22-year-old Samantha Lang was found dead in her home on Route 982 in Derry Township. On Wednesday, Charles Ream was arrested and charged with criminal homicide, burglary, robbery and theft by unlawful taking in connection with the case.
The 53-year-old man had no comment Wednesday as he was walked out of the Greensburg barracks.
Sixteen years ago, Lang was found lying in a pool of blood with her throat slashed from ear to ear. She was going to school to become a paralegal at the time of her death.
In the criminal complaint, investigators say they interviewed Ream a day after they found Lang's body. They say on March 26, Ream waited in Lang's driveway, followed her through the back door of her home and bought three bags of heroin from her.
Fast forward to March of this year when a male informant who troopers interviewed multiple times shared that Ream admitted to killing Lang around the time of the murder. Court records say that man told police, "Ream described how he killed Lang at her residence over drug and/or money" and that Ream only planned to bend or break some fingers, take the drugs and leave. But the informant said, according to the complaint, he thinks Ream told him when "she recognized him" he had to "take care of her."
Troopers also say they talked to a female informant this past May who overheard a conversation between Ream and two other men. She told investigators Ream "made comments to the effect of 'I did it, I made a mistake' and 'I have a daughter now, I don't want to get in trouble for something I was involved in from the past.'"
After a search of her cell phone records, state troopers learned the last contact Lang had with anyone was the day she sold the heroin to Ream, the Westmoreland County District Attorney's Office said in a release.
Lang's family kept the investigation in the public's eyes, continually appealing to the public to contact law enforcement with any information.
"I didn't think that I would ever see this in my life," said Carol Polo, Lang's mother, on Thursday.
"It brings us peace knowing that it's finally happening," said Alexis Malletz, Lang's niece, on Thursday.
Ream remains in Westmoreland County Prison without bail. He'll be in court on Aug. 9 for a preliminary hearing. As Lang's mother waits for his day in court, she thinks back to the good times.
"If you met her once, you couldn't forget her," Polo said.
She's counting her blessings for all of the hard work put in by investigators.
"I want to thank everybody that has been on this case from day one," Polo said.
So far, no word on whether anyone will receive a monetary reward for providing information to the authorities.
Westmoreland County District Attorney Nicole Ziccarelli released a statement on Wednesday, saying:
"This was a collaborative effort among our dedicated Assistant District Attorneys and investigators from Pennsylvania State Police who never gave up on this case and I commend them for their diligence. I cannot imagine the pain, anguish and grief the Lang family has suffered after all of this time. After 16 years, the perseverance and commitment shown to this investigation led to this arrest today and we hope it begins to bring justice and some relief to Samantha Lang's family."
On Thursday, Ziccarelli could not comment if there are any more suspects in connection with the case.
Anyone with information about the case can call 724-830-3949.
