Detroit, MI – The U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) Detroit Fugitive Apprehension Team (DFAT) has arrested a Detroit man who has been on the run for more than 30 years after being accused of committing a 1993 murder.

Richard Werstine, also known as Joseph Alan Stavros, 56, wanted for the Sept. 15, 1993, murder of his roommate, Rodney Barger, 23, was arrested by Detroit Police days later for the crime but failed to appear for his trial. In June 1994, a warrant was issued for his arrest.

In May 2022, the USMS adopted the warrant for failure to appear for a murder charge and through its investigation discovered that Werstine had been arrested multiple times over the years under different aliases, but his true identity was never known to authorities.

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.

Over the previous year, DFAT developed several leads that channeled investigative efforts to Panama City, Panama. DFAT worked with the USMS’s Office of International Operations and Panamanian authorities in efforts to locate and apprehend Werstine.

On April 29, 2026, authorities in Panama City arrested Werstine at a local dog park and took him into custody without incident. Werstine was in possession of fraudulent identification, and a subsequent fingerprint analysis led to him being identified as the fugitive Werstine.

Werstine confessed to his true identity and being on the run. Werstine admitted to entering Panama illegally in 2005 and never obtaining legal status.

On Saturday, USMS deputies traveled to Panama and worked with Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents to take Werstine into custody. He was returned to the United States where he will be turned over to Wayne County authorities.

“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. “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.”

“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,” said Chief Deputy U.S. Marshal Jimmy Allen. “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.”

The USMS provides assistance, expertise and training on fugitive matters to federal, state, local and international agencies, working with the international law enforcement community to apprehend fugitives abroad as well as to seek foreign fugitives living or residing in the U.S. The agency protects the public from international fugitives through coordinated enforcement efforts with foreign and domestic law enforcement. The USMS manages and executes the U.S. government’s extradition program on behalf of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies.

The agency maintains liaison positions with the Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs and the Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service.

In fiscal year 2025, the USMS closed 1,763 transnational fugitive investigations requiring investigative coordination with 142 countries and territories. The USMS conducted 966 removals, including extraditions, foreign extraditions, deportations and expulsions, through coordination with 70 foreign nations.