Man accused of murdering Detroit punk frontman in 1993 arrested after 30 years on the run
A man who has been accused of killing the frontman of a Detroit punk band in 1993 has been arrested more than 30 years later.
56-year-old Richard Werstine has been accused of murdering Rodney Barger on September 15th, 1993, who was his roommate and a close friend.
Werstine is alleged to have shot Barger in the head while he slept. Bargar, who was known in the Detroit scene by his stage name Rawn Beauty and fronted punk band Cold As Life, was aged just 23.
After spending more than 30 years living as a fugitive, Werstine was captured in a dog park in Panama City, Panama, on April 29th. According to USA Today, Werstine used the alias Joseph Alan Stavros after going on the run.
At the time of his arrest, he was carrying fraudulent identification; however, the authorities confirmed it was indeed Werstine through his fingerprints. He had illegally entered Panama in 2005, but has now been taken back to the US.
Chief Deputy Marshal Jimmy Allen said in a statement following the arrest, “The tenacity and commitment of the US Marshals Service working to bring Werstine and those like him into police custody where they belong is at the forefront of our daily mission here in Detroit.”
Allen continued, “His arrest not only works toward bringing closure to the friends and family who have lost a loved one but also demonstrates our promise to pursue those who think they can prey on the members of our communities without being held accountable.”
Days after Bargar’s death in 1993, Werstine was arrested but did not appear for his trial. He was charged with second-degree murder, and a warrant for his arrest was issued in 1994.
In 2022, federal authorities took on the case and learned that Werstine had been arrested several times over the years under different aliases, but his true identity remained a mystery.
Speaking about the arrest, a federal source told local Detroit publication WDIV, “He was a ghost since ‘94, he was very cunning, very crafty while on the run.”
No motive for the alleged murder has been disclosed.
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