Editor's note: This is one in a series of stories on unsolved homicides in York County.
Beneath his serious outward appearance, Jose Aponte was a goofball.
His sister, Miriam Baker, recalled that while some might’ve perceived him at first as unapproachable, he wouldn’t stop talking once he opened his mouth. He would crack jokes and try to lighten up the room when people were unhappy.
As a teen, Aponte would tie jump ropes to the back of his bicycle and pull two of their younger siblings on skateboards. He'd mimic the dance that Will Smith and Alfonso Ribeiro, who played Carlton Banks, performed on “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” to “Apache" from the Sugarhill Gang.