Spring City Man Sentenced to 45 Years in Prison For Killing Ex-Girlfriend's Boyfriend

A 23-year-old Spring City man has pleaded guilty to third degree murder in connection to the killing of a man in North Coventry last July, according to court documents.

A judge sentenced Zachary Ludwig, 23, to 45 years in prison on Thursday for shooting 20-year-old Nicholas Mruczek in the chest.

Mruczek died at Lehigh Valley Hospital the day after the shotoing and charges against Ludwig were initially upgraded to first degree murder.

Ludwig was angry because Mruczek was dating his ex-girlfriend, according to police.

He confronted Mruczek outside of his residence at the Highland Manor Apartments at about 2 a.m. on July 14, 2015, police said.

Ludwig had bought an unregistered shotgun for the occasion, according to the DA.

After Ludwig shot Mruczek “in close range,” Mruczek made his way back to his apartment where he told his roommates that he was going to die and to tell his father that he loved him, according to the Pottstown Mercury.

Mruczek was bleeding profusely when police arrived at about 2:18 a.m., according to the report.

He told police when they arrived that “Zach” was the shooter, the report states.

“Love and anger can be a dangerous mixture,” Hogan said. “The defendant’s response was to get an unregistered shotgun, confront the victim, and then shoot him at close range.”

Ludwig reportedly threw his shotgun into French Creek after he left the apartments, where it was later recovered by police, according to the report.

Image of Zachary Ludwig courtesy of the North Coventry Police Department.