Norristown Couple Sentenced To Prison In Beating Death Of Innocent Man

NORRISTOWN, PA — The young Norristown couple that lured a man under the Stony Creek Bridge, beat him to death, and robbed him, have been sentenced to lengthy terms in prison, according to court documents.

Erick Galo-Ponce, 20, who used a metal pipe to beat 23-year-old Nilson Velazquez-Cardona over the head, was convicted of second degree murder, robbery, and related counts and sentenced to ife in prison.

His girlfriend Ana Gonzalez-Munguia, 20, who lured the victim under the bridge, was convicted of third-degree murder and robbery and sentenced to 22.5 to 45 yaers behind bars.

The incident occurred back on Friday, Dec. 16, 2022 when Velazquez-Cardona of Woodhaven, New York, never returned home, his brother later told police.

An investigation revealed that Velazquez-Cardona was struck across the back of the head and then robbed by Galo-Ponce and Gonzalez-Mungula, according to authorities. The couple had recently been evicted from a Cherry Street apartment and were living near the Stony Creek bridge, police said.

Velazquez-Cardona was found dead under the bridge the next morning, Dec. 17, at 7:30 a.m. He could not be immediately identified because his phone and wallet had been taken.

Once he was identified, detectives said they discovered that his credit card was still being used. That included a charge for a motel room in Louisiana which was booked using Gonzalez-Mungula's cell phone, police said.

Phone records tracked the pair from the Stony Creek bridge at the time of the murder to a gas station in King of Prussia, then across Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, and finally Texas, police said.

Galo-Ponce had relatives in the Houston area where the pair were finally caught.