Concord woman charged in illegal gun/drug swap

Posted by Press Release on July 2, 2018

Delaware County District Attorney Katayoun M. Copeland announced that a Concord Township woman is charged with the straw purchase and illegal transfer of a firearm that she purchased for a known drug dealer in exchange for crack cocaine. The arrest comes at the conclusion of a joint investigation conducted by the Nether Providence Police Department and the Delaware County District Attorney’s Criminal Investigation Division Gun Trafficking Unit.

Jennifer Lynn Morro, 31, of Dorset Road in Glen Mills, is charged with transferring a firearm to a convicted felon, providing false information, tampering with public records, all felonies of the third degree, and other related offenses.

On June 4, at 10:05 pm, the Nether Providence Police Department responded to Baltimore Pike and Pine Ridge Road for a motor vehicle accident. Nether Providence Police Officer Matthew Liss observed a brass .9mm fired cartridge casing on the front passenger floor area and a handgun inside a plastic shopping bag on the front seat. Police determined the handgun was a .9mm Glock, model G-43, loaded with one chambered round of ammunition and four additional rounds inside the magazine. Morro advised police that she was the owner of the handgun and produced a Pennsylvania State Police Record of Sale Form, showing the firearm was purchased the same day, June 4. Morro was taken into custody and charged with driving under the influence and possession of a firearm without a license. The firearm was submitted to the Delaware County CID Firearm Forensic Unit for ballistic analysis.

As part of the investigation into the purchase of the firearm, CID Detective David Tyler, along with Nether Providence Police Detective Michael Erickson and Officer Liss interviewed Jennifer Morro, who advised that on June 4, she was driving with Ray Woods, also known as “Cash,” who asked her to buy a gun for him since he has a criminal history involving a gun charge and selling drugs. Morro advised that she has known Ray Woods for the past five years and that he is her crack cocaine supplier.

Morro told detectives that Woods gave her $500 cash with which to purchase a Glock semi-automatic firearm. Morro stated that she filled out the paperwork, passed the background check, paid for the firearm and a box of ammunition, and was given the .9mm Glock firearm which she then gave to Ray Woods. Morro stated that in exchange for purchasing the gun for Woods, he gave her four bags of crack cocaine.

“In the case of Jennifer Morro, she purchased a gun for a known criminal, showing a complete disregard for the law and the safety of our community,” the district attorney said. “We commend Nether Providence Police Detective Michael Erickson and Officer Matthew Lissand CID Det. David Tyler for their work on this case. We will continue to aggressively target straw purchases to stop criminals from obtaining firearms illegally. Reducing gun violence is the number one priority of our Anti-Violence Task Force and in addition to investigations, we are working with community organizations, faith-based organizations and gun store owners to raise awareness about the severity of these crimes.”

Deputy District Attorney George B. Dawson, Chief of the Anti-Violence Task Force, will prosecute the case on behalf of the Commonwealth.