Richard Werstine Arrested in Panama After 30 Years Over 1993 Rodney Barger Murder
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · May 13
Richard Werstine Arrested in Panama After 30 Years Over 1993 Rodney Barger Murder
8 articles · Updated · The Guardian · May 13
Panama City police and US marshals arrested Richard Werstine, 56, at a dog park on April 29, ending a 30-year fugitive run tied to the 1993 killing of Cold as Life singer Rodney Barger.
Authorities say Werstine shot Barger, 23, in the head as he slept in their Detroit home on Sept. 15, 1993, then vanished after initially being detained and failing to appear for trial; a warrant followed in June 1994.
Fake identification found at the arrest scene was overcome by fingerprint testing, and investigators said Werstine later admitted he had been fleeing authorities, entered Panama illegally in 2005 and never obtained legal status.
The US Marshals took over the case in May 2022, then spent the past year chasing leads with their international operations division and Panamanian authorities after learning he had been arrested multiple times under aliases.
Barger, known onstage as Rawn Beauty, helped found Detroit hardcore band Cold as Life in 1988; officials still have not disclosed a motive for the killing.
Why was a rising punk star murdered in his sleep by his own roommate?
How does a fugitive build a new life and family while hiding a murder charge for 30 years?
What 'state-of-the-art' technique finally unmasked a ghost who evaded capture since 1994?