BRIDGEPORT — Long considered a case in which the investigative leads had gone cold, federal authorities have arrested a currently imprisoned Danbury man, charging him in the murder of Mark Rebong, a 28-year-old Newtown man who was fatally shot while driving to work on the Exit 2 off-ramp of westbound Interstate 84 in Danbury in January 2000.

Mr Rebong was the son of Dr Efren and Anita Rebong of Newtown. Attempts this week to reach the Rebongs for comment were unsuccessful.

The alleged murderer, in seeking to improve his standing as a member of the Latin Kings crime gang, mistakenly shot the wrong man, according to the US Attorney for Connecticut.

A federal grand jury in Bridgeport returned a three-count indictment charging Alex Garcia, 37, with murder, assault, and a firearms offense in the January 17, 2000, shooting death of Mr Rebong.

It is unclear when the murder charge against Garcia may come to trial, Thomas Carson, a spokesman for the US Attorney, said November 3.

US Attorney Deirdre M. Daly on October 23 announced the indictment against Mr Garcia.

State police initially investigated the Rebong murder case.

On January 17, 2000, at approximately 11:02 pm, Mr Rebong was discovered in the driver’s seat of a stopped, idling SUV near Exit 2. He had had been shot once in the head and later died as a result of his injuries.

In April 2000, noted forensic scientist Dr Henry Lee conducted an elaborate nighttime reconstruction of the shooting incident at the crime scene in seeking to solve the crime.

Federal Indictment

The indictment alleges that on January 17, 2000, Mr Garcia who was then a member of the Almighty Latin King and Queen Nation, a/k/a Latin Kings, murdered Mr Rebong in seeking to maintain or increase his position as a member of the Latin Kings.

“Participation in criminal activity by a [gang] member, especially violence directed at rival gangs, increased the respect accorded to that member and could result in a promotion to a leadership position,” according to the indictment.

“In a tragic case of mistaken identity, Mark Rebong, who was neither a member of a gang, nor engaged in any criminal activity, was shot and killed as he drove to work,” according to Ms Daly.

Mr Rebong had worked nights at a hotel near Exit 2 of I-84, which was then known as Danbury Hilton and Towers.    

“I want to commend the dedicated law enforcement investigators for their relentless search for those responsible for this senseless murder. Although over 15 years have passed, the law enforcement team never forgot Mark. We hope that this indictment brings his family some small measure of solace,” Ms Daly said in a statement.

The court indictment charges Mr Garcia with the murder in aid of racketeering. If convicted, Mr Garcia faces either a mandatory life imprisonment or the death penalty, if the government seeks the death penalty.

The indictment also charges Mr Garcia with assault resulting in serious bodily injury in aid of racketeering. If convicted of that offense, Mr Garcia faces a maximum term of 20 years imprisonment.

The indictment additionally charges Mr Garcia with use of a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence resulting in death. If convicted of that offense, Mr Garcia faces either mandatory life imprisonment or the death penalty, if the government seeks the death penalty.

In an effort to spur some new investigative leads in the Rebong murder investigation, in July 2012, the state Department of Correction (DOC) issued a deck of playing cards to inmates housed in state prisons and jails, with the “3 of Spades” bearing the likeness of Mark Rebong.

Mr Rebong’s photo is among the 52 photos on the deck of cards through whose use and handling by inmates, state police sought to gain new investigatory leads into unsolved homicides known as “cold cases.”

Each card in the deck of 52 cards featured a photograph and brief details about an unsolved homicide or missing person case, and on the reverse side listed telephone, mail, and e-mail contacts inmates could use to supply information.

In April 2007, Mr Garcia was sentenced to spend 40 years in state prison for convictions on charges stemming from a December 2005 shooting/stabbing incident at a Danbury public housing complex. He was found guilty of attempted murder and various first-degree assault charges.

The Garcia arrest in the Rebong murder resulted from investigation by the US Drug Enforcement Administration’s New Haven District Office, the Danbury Police Department. and the state’s police’s Western District Major Crime Squad, with assistance from the Connecticut Department of Correction and the Danbury State’s Attorney’s Office.