A 31-year-old man from Newark has been charged in connection with a 2009 armed robbery that left a 19-year-old man dead.
Last week, a New Castle County grand jury indicted Ricardo Vega on two counts of first-degree murder for the March 17, 2009, shooting of Justin Trnka. Vega would have been 17 at the time.
The Delaware Department of Justice said Vega was not charged with robbery due to Delaware’s statute of limitations. State law says prosecution for felonies − except murder and other class A felonies − must begin within five years of the date the crime occurred.
First-degree robbery is a class B felony.
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According to previous reports by Delaware Online/The News Journal, Trnka was found slumped over the wheel of his car just before 10 on the night of his death. The vehicle, which was in the back parking area of BJ’s Wholesale Club off Route 72 in Ogletown, was still running.
A security guard had been patrolling the area and noticed the car.
At the time, detectives theorized that the shooting was a drug deal gone wrong. They described Trnka as a “low-level marijuana dealer.”
Two years after his slaying, Trnka’s father told Delaware Online/The News Journal that while “there were a lot of things he was doing that I didn’t agree with,” he “loved him for who he was.”
An obituary said Trnka “lived life passionately and adventurously.”
State police arrested Vega on Wednesday.
Attorney General Kathy Jennings said she was grateful for the “dogged persistence” of prosecutors and state police investigators in solving the cold case.
“I know how challenging these cases are, and it’s a testament to the skill and professionalism of the Delaware State Police that we could crack this case after 14 years and bring it before a grand jury,” Jennings said.
If convicted, Vega faces a mandatory life sentence.
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