Fugitive tied to decades-old slaying of punk rocker roommate caught in tropical hot spot: feds

A Michigan man on the run for over three decades after allegedly killing his punk-rock singer roommate has been captured, officials said.

Richard Werstine, who also went by the name Joseph Alan Stavros, 56, was arrested in Panama City, Panama, in April, the U.S. Marshals Service said in a news release. 

Werstine was sought by authorities for the alleged murder of his roommate, 23-year-old Rodney Barger, in Detroit on Sept. 15, 1993. 

At the time of his death, Barger was a vocalist for the punk band Cold as Life, according to the Detroit Metro Times.

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Federal authorities said Werstine was arrested just days after the alleged murder but failed to appear for his trial — prompting an arrest warrant to be issued in 1994. 

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“He was a ghost since ‘94,” a federal source told Local 4. “He was very cunning, very crafty while on the run.”

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He allegedly remained on the lam for several years, and in 2022 the USMS adopted the arrest warrant after investigators learned he had been arrested several times under different aliases while he continued to evade authorities.

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“Over the course of the investigation, the USMS utilized state-of-the-art investigative resources and techniques and devoted numerous hours in efforts to find the fugitive,” federal officials said.

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The investigation led authorities to arrest Werstine at a dog park in Panama City on April 29, 2026. 

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Upon being taken into custody, officials said Werstine confessed to his true identity after he was allegedly found with fraudulent documentation and admitted to entering Panama illegally in 2005.

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He was subsequently extradited from Panama to the United States and handed over to Wayne County officials. 

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“The tenacity and commitment of the United States 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,” Chief Deputy U.S. Marshal Jimmy Allen said.

“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.”

Fox News Digital reached out to the U.S. Marshals Service for comment. 

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