'Ghost' murder suspect accused of killing his best friend is arrested after 30 years on the run

A man who allegedly murdered his rockstar roommate has been arrested after ‘living as a Ghost’ for over 30 years.

Richard Werstine, 56, had been on the run following the alleged killing of Cold as Life band member Rodney Barner, 23, in September 1993, the US Marshals Service reports.

He was first arrested days after the murder of his friend at their home in Detroit.

However, Werstine failed to turn up for his court appearance, where he was expected to stand trial. A warrant was issued for his arrest in June 1994.

On April 29, over 30 years after ‘going on the run,’ the hunt was over as Werstine, who also went by the name of Joseph Alan Stavros, was captured at a dog park in Panama City.

The man was found in Panama City (Getty Stock)

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

He has now been returned to the United States, where he will be turned over to Wayne County authorities, the U.S. Marshalls Service confirmed.

The case was taken over by the Marshals Service in 2022, for failure to appear for a murder charge. It was then discovered that the fugitive had been arrested under different names, escaping police detection, WDIV reports.

After a number of leads, focused on Panama City, he was arrested. He then admitted to living in Panama illegally since 2005, and has never obtained legal status in the Central American country.

“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,” U.S. Marshal or the Eastern District of Michigan Owen Cypher said.

Richard had been hiding in Panama as a “ghost” for over 30 years (Getty Stock)

“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.”

He said the arrest of the fugitive ‘works toward bringing closure,’ and hopes it warns those who believe they can ‘prey on the members of the communities without being held accountable.’

There are estimated to be thousands of outstanding active arrest warrants in the U.S.

In 2024, the U.S. Marshalls Service confirmed that they had arrested 74,222 fugitives, including 28,706 wanted on federal warrants and 45,516 on state and local warrants.