A 29-year-old Harrisburg man has been charged with killing South Whitehall resident Joyce Roth, 87, on June 10 in Derry Township, Dauphin County.

According to a press release from Dauphin County District Attorney Edward M. Marsico Jr. and Derry Township Police Chief Patrick O'Rourke, DaJuan Anthony Porter was arrested June 18 in connection with the murder of Roth, who was visiting her family for the high school graduation of her great-grandchild.

Roth died from a stab wound to the chest during a burglary at her son's home.

Derry Township Police charged Porter with murder, burglary, arson, two counts of intimidation of a victim or witness, and two counts of retaliation against a victim or witness.

The arrest is the result of a task force investigation led by the Derry Township Police Department and which includes members of the Criminal Investigation Division of the Dauphin County District Attorney's Office, Harrisburg Bureau of Police, Pennsylvania State Police and Lower Paxton Township Police Department.

Swatara Township Police Department and Hampden Township, Cumberland County Police Department also provided substantial assistance in the effort, the press release states.

Task force members arrested Porter on June 11 on charges including involuntary deviate sexual intercourse and attempted involuntary deviate sexual intercourse.

Since that time, Porter has been held in lieu of $1 million bail in Dauphin County Prison.

The criminal complaint charges Porter allegedly killed Roth in an attempt to thwart his prosecution on three counts of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, three counts of sexual assault and burglary.

Those charges are pending in Dauphin County Court of Common Pleas.

Roth is a blood relative of one of the individuals involved with those pending charges. That person had resided at the home where the murder was committed and was the likely target.

According to the press release, the arson and second set of witness intimidation and retaliation charges relate to a fire in Lower Paxton Township that occurred on the same morning as the murder.

The arson occurred at the home of a second person who was sexually assaulted.

There was no injury reported as a result of the fire.

Porter allegedly traveled to and from the scenes of the murder and arson in a pick-up truck.

The truck's owner cooperated with investigators and is not being charged in the incident.