By Francis Scarcella
The Daily Item
—
LEWISBURG — Very little was said during a three-hour drive in a state police cruiser as Milton troopers Matthew Burrows and J.A. Hansel transported their passenger to Pennsylvania.
In the rear seat Thursday was Joel Snider, the man accused of murdering a New Berlin yoga master in July who until two weeks ago was fighting extradition from a Baltimore County, Md., jail.
Snider surrendered that battle — and today is incarcerated in Union County Jail without bail.
Come Friday, he is scheduled to be charged with homicide and burglary before Lewisburg District Judge Leo Armbruster.
Snider, 33, of St. Louis, is also known as Jivakan. He was arrested in July in Baltimore County on charges he murdered Sudharman, 70, who’s real name was Joe Fenton.
Sudharman died as a result of multiple gunshot wounds, Burrows said. The cause of death was established during a July autopsy in Allentown.
Snider planned to fight extradition, claiming he wanted to know what evidence
Pennsylvania authorities had on him.
That evidence was listed in court papers Thursday: Police who used cell phone signals to track Snider to a motel in Baltimore found in his room blood inside a white athletic shoe. His vehicle was returned to Pennsylvania, where investigators found one spent .22-caliber round under a rear seat; receipts from a Missouri gun store for a weapon and ammunition; and a receipt from a Danville hotel for July 4.
Snider checked out of that hotel on July 5.
Sudharman was believed to be killed late July 3 or early July 5.
Burrows said his station received a call Wednesday night and was told Snider was ready to be picked up.
“That’s all we know,” he said.
As Snider arrived at the Union County Courthouse, he stared straight ahead and would not respond to reporters’ questions.
Snider sat beside attorney Bill Miele, of Williamsport, and listened as Armbruster read the charges.
“Do you understand what I am saying to you?” Armbruster asked.
Snider looked at Miele, who responded “yes” for his client.
Miele refused to answer any questions about what Snider said prior to the hearing, but did say he was informed Snider was coming back on Thursday.
“I have no comment at this time,” said Miele, adding that he became Snider’s attorney about a week ago.
Frank Fina, from the Attorney General’s office in Harrisburg, is prosecuting the case because Union County District Attorney D. Peter Johnson was friends with Sudharman.
Snider’s next court date is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Friday. That hearing may be rescheduled because of conflicting schedules Armbruster said.
According to court documents, Sudharman’s body was wrapped in two sheets and a comforter with duct tape wrapped around the outside.
News of Sudharman’s death sparked a series of events leading to Snider’s arrest.
A staff member for Yogaville near Buckingham, Va., contacted police after hearing of Sudharman’s death. That member revealed a group of e-mails she received from Snider, whom she said she has known for 10 years.
Snider indicated in an e-mails that he wanted to carry out an “assassination” of Sudharman and another man, Andrew Cohen, according to documents.
In another e-mail Snider wrote, “I am thinking that for both Andrew and Sudharman, it would be best if they just disappeared. Both appear to be mysterious, eccentric spiritual guys, so it might be easily believable that they would just take off for awhile ... This way, there is less chance for an investigation, less chance that it could be traced back to me. This will take a little more planning and could be risky to get close, but with God as my guide, I am sure I will be just fine,” court documents state.
Police also noted in arrest papers that Snider described New Berlin as a “very small town which is very dark at night, few street lights.”
E-mail comments to fscarcella@dailyitem.com
