“48 Hours” Investigates in “Who Killed Rachael DelTondo?”

(L-R) Sheldon Jeter and Rachael DelTondo

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More than three years after Rachael DelTondo was murdered outside of her family home in Pennsylvania, a search is still underway for the person who killed her and why. Erin Moriarty and 48 HOURS investigate the murder and seeks answers in “Who Killed Rachael DelTondo?” to be broadcast Saturday, Dec. 11 (10:01 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network and streaming on Paramount+.

The case has consumed Aliquippa, Pa. DelTondo was killed on Mother’s Day 2018 after returning from a trip for ice cream with friends. At the time DelTondo was killed, she was the ninth unsolved murder in a city with an underfunded and understaffed police department. There were initially several leads to follow, including the actions of an Aliquippa High School athlete named Sheldon Jeter. The night of DelTondo’s murder, texts suggest that Jeter may have been trying to track her movements. And after the shooting, DelTondo’s mother, Lisa, told 48 HOURS, she immediately suspected Jeter.

“He was obsessed with her,” Lisa DelTondo told Erin Moriarty.

But Jeter’s lawyer Michael Santicola says his client had nothing to do with Rachael DelTondo’s murder. “There’s no evidence there that ties him to the crime,” says Santicola.

Then this past summer, Sheldon Jeter was convicted of killing a different friend after a trip to get ice cream. With his arrest and conviction in that case, attention has again been drawn to the unsolved murder of DelTondo.

“The investigation right now is active. My detectives, my prosecutors – are working continuously,” Beaver County District Attorney David Lozier tells Moriarty.

“Do you believe that someone will be arrested in this case?” Moriarty asks.

“I think we’ll have answers,” Lozier says.

And 48 HOURS has learned that a Pennsylvania state grand jury has heard evidence about Jeter’s possible involvement in DelTondo’s death.

“We’re pleased with the quality of the evidence that we have,” Lozier says. “And we’ll make an announcement when we believe that we can win a case to the criminal standard of beyond a reasonable doubt.”

48 HOURS: “Who Killed Rachel DelTondo?” is produced by Judy Rybak. Hannah Vair is the associate producer. Joan Adelman and Atticus Brady are the editors. Patti Aronofsky is the senior producer. Nancy Kramer is the executive story editor. Judy Tygard is the executive producer.

48 HOURS is broadcast Saturdays at 10:00 PM, ET/PT, on CBS and streams on Paramount+. Follow 48 HOURS on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Listen to podcasts at CBSAudio. Stream 48 HOURS on Paramount+.

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