Niagara Police make arrest in Fort Erie double-murder case

Following a months-long investigation, the Niagara Police have made an arrest in a Fort Erie double-murder case.

On January 19, two women – Julianna Pannunzio, 20, of Windsor and Christine Crooks, 18, of Toronto – were killed at a Fort Erie house party and since that time, police have been searching for a suspect.

Two months ago, they went as far as offering a $100,000 reward for information leading to an arrest.

With the assistance of the Toronto Police Major Crimes Unit, today (August 26), Niagara Police arrested Christopher Lucas, 22, (also known as “El Plaga”) of Scarborough and charged him with two counts of first-degree murder.

Lucas is scheduled for a video bail court appearance at Robert S. K. Welch Court House in St. Catharines today.

After thanking the public for their help, Niagara Police also acknowledged other police forces for their work on the case, including the Toronto Police, York Regional Police, Durham Regional Police, Waterloo Regional Police, Halton Regional Police and the OPP.

The investigation into this matter remains ongoing. Police say no further information is being released at this time.