STROUDSBURG, MONROE COUNTY — The man charged with killing a patron at a Middle Smithfield Township bar nearly two years ago will stand trial in March, according to Monroe County court records.

Matthew Herberto Morales, 31, of Pocono Pines, faces criminal homicide, possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, and carrying a firearm without a license in the May 24, 2024 shooting death of Henry David Koroma Jr. at My Place Bar & Grill on Milford Road.

Jury selection begins March 16, 2026. The trial before Judge Jonathan Mark is scheduled to run through March 27.

Five Months on the Run

Morales fled Pennsylvania after the shooting and evaded capture for nearly five months. Pennsylvania State Police issued a fugitive warrant, warning that he was armed and dangerous.

The manhunt ended in Utah in September 2024 when Morales was shot eight times in an unrelated incident. He was hospitalized in critical condition at the University of Utah Hospital, where U.S. Marshals took him into custody and held him for extradition.

He was returned to Pennsylvania and arraigned in Monroe County on October 23, 2024. Bail was denied. Morales has been held in custody since—first at Monroe County Prison, then Carbon County Prison, and currently at Luzerne County Prison.

The Shooting

State troopers responded to My Place Bar & Grill at 10:54 p.m. on May 24, 2024 for reports of gunfire. Koroma, formerly of Scranton, had been shot in the chest. He ran from the bar and collapsed in the parking lot. He was pronounced dead at Lehigh Valley Pocono Medical Center.

Investigators reviewed surveillance footage from the bar. According to court filings, the video shows Morales and Koroma fighting before Morales drew a firearm and fired.

Monroe County Coroner Tom Yanac ruled the death a homicide.

Pre-Trial Motions

The case has generated substantial pre-trial litigation. The Commonwealth, led by District Attorney Michael Mancuso and Assistant District Attorney James Nasatka, filed a motion to quash defense subpoenas and sought a protective order in May 2025. Judge Mark granted that motion in September after extensive briefing from both sides.

Defense attorney Alexander Owen Ward of Gross McGinley LLP in Allentown—appointed as conflict counsel after the Monroe County Public Defender’s Office was removed from the case—filed an omnibus pretrial motion in October 2025 seeking various forms of relief. The court approved defense requests for a private investigator and a digital forensic analyst.

The Commonwealth filed a motion in limine on November 25, 2025, with a supporting brief submitted December 15. An omnibus hearing is scheduled for January 8, 2026, followed by a pre-trial conference on February 19.

Prior Record

Court records show Morales has one prior conviction: a 2014 guilty plea to disorderly conduct in Lackawanna County, a third-degree misdemeanor.

He is also known by the alias “Suge Stacks.”

Morales remains in custody without bail. If convicted of criminal homicide, he faces a potential sentence ranging from life imprisonment to death, depending on whether prosecutors pursue first-degree murder and seek capital punishment.

Case: Commonwealth v. Matthew Herberto Morales
Docket: CP-45-CR-0002250-2024
Court: Monroe County Court of Common Pleas
Judge: Jonathan Mark
Next Hearing: January 8, 2026 (Omnibus/Motion in Limine)
Trial: March 17-27, 2026

All persons charged with crimes are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.