Detroit Murder Suspect Arrested After 30 Years on Run

The Murder and Initial Escape

Richard Werstine was arrested in connection with the September 15, 1993 fatal shooting of Rodney Barger, 23, who was shot in the head as he slept. Barger was the lead singer of a local Detroit-area punk rock band called “Cold as Life,” performing under the stage name “Rawn Beauty.”

Werstine was arrested for the crime days after Barger’s death. However, he was released on bail while awaiting trial. In June 1994, Werstine failed to appear for trial. A warrant was issued for his arrest.

After that date, Werstine vanished.

The Fugitive Life

During his decades on the run, Werstine adopted multiple aliases in an effort to evade detection. Court records identify him using the names Joseph Alan Stavros, Joseph Shnorock, Jim Kelley, Joe Schorck, James Elizarrey, and James Blizarrey. Despite using these assumed identities, Werstine was arrested multiple times on various charges unrelated to the original murder investigation.

A federal source told a Detroit NBC affiliate: “He was a ghost since ‘94. He was very cunning, very crafty while on the run.”

In January 1999, while using the Stavros alias, Werstine was arrested in Flagstaff, Arizona on charges of aggravated assault and disorderly conduct. According to a 1999 Associated Press report, Werstine fired 14 shots before police arrived. When officers confronted him, he pointed his weapon at them and “indicated to police that he wouldn’t be taken.” He was shot multiple times. Chief deputy U.S. Marshal Jimmy Allen later told NBC News: “His arm is still messed up from that.”

What happened to Werstine after the 1999 Flagstaff arrest and how he avoided authorities for another 27 years remained unclear until his recent capture.

Capture in Panama

U.S. Marshals Service investigators tracked Werstine to Panama City, Panama. On April 29, marshals and members of their Detroit Fugitive Apprehension Team task force descended on a dog park in that city and captured him “without incident,” according to an official statement.

Werstine was in possession of fraudulent identification documents. Subsequent fingerprint analysis confirmed his identity as Richard Werstine, the fugitive in the 1993 murder case. Werstine confessed to his true identity and to being on the run. He admitted to entering Panama illegally in 2005 and never obtaining legal status.

Investigation Timeline

Chief deputy U.S. Marshal Jimmy Allen credited investigative advances for the apprehension. “It was the 90s,” Allen said. “This was before the internet, and fingerprint databases weren’t as accessible as they are now. So when we took over the case in 2022, I was essentially starting from the beginning.”

Allen credited the Marshals Service’s use of “state-of-the-art investigative resources and techniques” in locating and capturing Werstine. “His tenacity and commitment of the United States Marshals Service working to bring Werstine and those like him into police custody” was essential to the case resolution, Allen said.

Werstine is now in custody awaiting a court hearing in Detroit.

References: NBC News Detroit cold case murder suspect