Family of 2018 murder victim calls Beaver County DA's update on case a 'political stunt'

The family of a 2018 murder victim said it was nothing more than a “political stunt” when earlier this week Beaver County District Attorney David Lozier announced a prime suspect in the case.

Rachael DelTondo was gunned down in the driveway of her mother’s Aliquippa home more than five years ago.

This week, Lozier announced he was naming Sheldon Jeter, 25, as the prime suspect in the case. Jeter and DelTondo had an on-and-off romantic relationship, according to the district attorney, and police know Jeter had been stalking DelTondo on the night of her murder.

Lozier admitted police could not place him in the location where the 33-year-old woman was killed, and he did not provide specifics on any new evidence in the case.

A letter released through the DelTondo family’s attorney criticized the district attorney for his announcement, Tribune-Review news partner WTAE-TV reported. In the letter, the family said Lozier “did not have the guts” to call the family directly or visit them in person to tell them about the announcement he made this week.

“This caused more suffering and hurt on top of what we suffered for the past five years,” the family wrote in the letter.

The family called the announcement “a cheap, underhanded, pitiful, political stunt pulled by Mr. Lozier in an effort to boost his campaign for reelection.”

“After five years of producing nothing, he is fearful that his ineptness as a DA is showing through and that the announcement was made to deflect his poor effort to bring justice to our daughter,” the letter from the family continued. “Shame on him.”

Lozier’s office told WTAE the district attorney was out of the country and unavailable to comment.

Jeter’s attorney told the station he does not believe there’s anything new about Lozier’s announcement.

No charges have been filed against Jeter.