U.S. Marshals arrest Detroit murder suspect who had been on the run for 30+ years

PANAMA CITY, Panama (WXYZ) — A Detroit man who had been on the run after being accused of committing a 1993 murder has been arrested in Panama City, the U.S. Marshals tell us.

We’re told that 56-year-old Richard Werstine, also known as Joseph Alan Stavros, had been wanted for the murder of his roommate — 23-year-old Rodney Barger — for three decades. He was initially arrested after the alleged murder, but he failed to appear for trial, and a warrant was issued for his arrest in June of 1994.

The U.S. Marshals adopted the warrant in May of 2022, and said in a press release that Werstine had been arrested multiple times over the years under different aliases. Working several leads, investigators were able to determine that he was in Panama…

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