ALLENTOWN, Pa. – A 32-year-old Allentown man will spend the rest of his life behind bars for a deadly shooting in 2023, while authorities say he remains a person of interest in the unsolved murder of a teenage girl in Missouri nearly a decade ago.
Evander Thompson was sentenced Wednesday, October 14, to life in prison without the possibility of parole following his conviction in the shooting death of Orlando Ibanez. Thompson also received an additional three to seven years in prison for carrying a firearm without a license, according to the Lehigh County District Attorney’s Office.
A jury found Thompson guilty of first-degree murder and the firearms offense on July 30, 2026.
Deadly Shooting in Allentown
The investigation began during the early morning hours of September 23, 2023, when Allentown police responded to reports of a shooting inside an apartment building along West Allen Street.
Officers arrived shortly before 2 a.m. and discovered Ibanez near the entrance to his second-floor apartment, suffering from a gunshot wound to his neck. A spent shell casing was recovered near his body.
Ibanez was pronounced dead, and Lehigh County Coroner Daniel Buglio ruled his death a homicide.
Investigators relied heavily on surveillance footage, cellphone records and forensic evidence to identify Thompson as the person responsible.
According to prosecutors, city surveillance cameras captured Thompson entering the building shortly before the shooting. Several minutes later, he was seen fleeing the area.
Additional footage from city-operated and private security cameras showed Thompson traveling between his residence on North Nagle Street and the location of the homicide.
Cellphone Message Becomes Key Evidence
One of the significant pieces of evidence presented during the investigation was a cellphone message Thompson allegedly sent shortly after the shooting.
Prosecutors said surveillance video captured Thompson using his phone moments after leaving the building.
Investigators later recovered a message sent to another individual containing just two words:
“he dead.”
Authorities also recovered a firearm that was in the possession of a minor connected to the person who received Thompson’s message.
Forensic testing conducted by the Lehigh County District Attorney’s Firearm and Tool Mark Laboratory linked the recovered weapon to both the shell casing discovered at the crime scene and the bullet recovered during Ibanez’s autopsy.
Investigators also located a video Thompson had recorded of himself holding a firearm consistent with the murder weapon, according to prosecutors.
The combined surveillance footage, electronic evidence and forensic findings helped prosecutors secure the first-degree murder conviction.
Connection to Unsolved Missouri Teen Murder
While Thompson’s Pennsylvania murder case has concluded with a life sentence, authorities say his name remains connected to another homicide investigation more than 800 miles away.
According to the Lehigh County District Attorney’s Office, Thompson is a person of interest in the 2016 killing of 16-year-old Maleaha Journ’e Talton in Ferguson, Missouri.
Talton’s body was discovered wrapped in carpeting along a wooded trail. Investigators determined the teenager had been beaten and suffered a gunshot wound to her head.
Authorities have not announced any charges against Thompson in connection with Talton’s death, and the Missouri investigation remains open.
Additional reporting indicates Thompson had been in a relationship with Talton before her death. Members of the teenager’s family reportedly attended Wednesday’s sentencing proceedings in Lehigh County.
Missouri Investigation Remains Active
The Ferguson Police Department continues to investigate Talton’s death, nearly ten years after her body was discovered.
Despite Thompson’s conviction in Pennsylvania, investigators have not announced an arrest or criminal charges in the Missouri homicide.
Anyone with information about the 2016 killing is encouraged to contact the Ferguson Police Department at 314-522-3100.
Thompson’s life sentence ensures he will remain incarcerated for the murder of Ibanez, while the family of Talton continues to await answers in the unsolved Missouri case.
