Man accused of killing rock singer in 1993 arrested after being on run
He had been on the run for more than 35 years.
Mason Reed 
A man accused of killing a rock star in 1993 was arrested by federal authorities in Panama.
According to the Detroit News, citing a news release from the U.S. Marshals Service, officials, working with Panamanian officials, arrested Richard Werstine.
Werstine, 56, is accused of killing his roommate Rodney Barger, who was known as Rawn Beauty, in September 1993.
Per the report, Werstine was arrested in ‘93, but he fled before trial and a warrant was issued in 1994.
Barger, who was 23 at the time of his death and shot in his sleep, headlined several bands in the Detroit area in the late 1980s and early 1990s, including “Cold As Life,” per the Detroit Free Press.
A 2023 piece in Revolver magazine labeled Barger as a “fabled wild-man vocalist.”
“Many of Cold as Life’s craziest stories (intraband brawls, confrontations at shows, heavy drinking) are credited to Barger’s erratic behavior, but his talents as a belligerent vocalist and underclass poet remain obvious,” the piece stated.
“The U.S. Marshals Service takes crimes of this nature extremely seriously given the violent nature of the alleged offense and unlawful flight to avoid prosecution,” said Owen Cypher, U.S. Marshal for the Eastern District of Michigan, in the release.
“The dedication of all members of my staff who spearheaded the arrest of this fugitive who has been on the run for over 30 years is a testimony to their resolve. It sends a message to fugitives that there is no place you can hide that the U.S. Marshals Service won’t find you and bring you to justice.”
Per The Free Press, marshals tracked Wernstine to Panama. He was detained in a dog park in Panama City without incident, according to a news release. He admitted to having fake identification documents and entering Panama illegally in 2005, the release states.
