A Shot In The Dark: Reconstructing A Baffling Crime

By Andrew Gorosko

DANBURY — In the glare of floodlights late Tuesday night, Dr Henry Lee, the state commissioner of public safety, and a large team of state police investigators meticulously reconstructed the dynamics of a January shooting on westbound Interstate-84, which left a Newtown man dead and authorities puzzled about the circumstances of his death.

Dr Lee and investigators from the state police crime laboratory walked along Exit 2, watching, measuring, and photographing the slow progress of a black Jeep Cherokee as it was driven through the area where Mark Rebong, 28, was shot once in the head about 11 pm January 17, while driving to work at the nearby Danbury Hilton and Towers. The Jeep used in the crime reconstruction is the one that Mr Rebong was driving when he was shot.

Mr Rebong died the following night in Danbury Hospital.

Dr Lee, a renowned forensic scientist, is a specialist in reconstructing crime scenes.

The Rebong family stood by, watching as investigators plumbed the mechanics of the homicide in an attempt to solve what has so far proven to be a baffling crime. New York state police also watched, having been called in on the case because it is thought Mr Rebong’s unknown assailant may have continued onward into nearby New York after the shooting.

Bathed in the glare of flashing red-and-blue police car beacons, the cluster of detectives inched their way down the closed Exit 2. The din of passing traffic continued on nearby I-84, with some motorists slowing down to check out what was happening. The reconstruction, which began Tuesday night in cold, blustery conditions, continued into early Wednesday morning.

At an impromptu press conference held in the area where the Exit 2 ramp forks, Dr Lee and Dr Efren E. Rebong discussed their hope that investigators can solve the puzzling case. Mark Rebong was the son of Dr Rebong, a psychiatrist at Danbury Hospital.

Dr Rebong said a $20,000 reward has been raised by the Rebong family, friends, and colleagues, as an incentive to attract people who may know the circumstances of his son’s death and provide state police with information leading to the arrest of his killer.

Dr Rebong said the community has been very supportive of his family. He said he hopes state police will solve the crime to ensure the peace of mind of the community.

State police received an emergency 911 telephone call about 11 pm January 17, reporting a motor vehicle accident on the I-84 westbound Exit 2 off-ramp. On arriving at the scene, state police found Mr Rebong in the Jeep, in a grassy area against the fence of a commuter parking lot, where the vehicle had rolled after the shooting. The driver’s side window of the Jeep had been shot out.

Investigators Tuesday night inspected the area where gunfire shattered the Jeep window, showering the pavement with glass. Using laser pointing devices, state police sought to establish the exact spot from which the gun was fired.

At one point, Dr Lee aimed a rifle out the front passenger-side window of a gray sedan, pointing the gun’s barrel at the driver-side window of the Jeep.

Detectives who reconstructed the crime scene photographed it from multiple angles, in one case extending a cherry picker high above the exit ramp to get a birds-eye view of the area.

State police believe the shooting occurred in the vicinity of the Ridgebury Road overpass which crosses I-84 and Exit 2 near the Hilton. Much of the shooting reconstruction work occurred just west of the overpass.

Dr Lee said investigators are trying to learn if Mr Rebong’s shooting death was a case of road rage, a drive-by shooting, or a revenge killing. State police do not have a motive in the shooting, he said, adding they hope that the elaborate reconstruction will shed some light on the circumstances of the murder. State police have discounted robbery as a motive.

Dr Lee said state police know what happened and are now seeking to learn how it happened, in attempting to solve the puzzling crime.

 State police spokesman Lieutenant Ralph Carpenter said more than two dozen state police personnel took part in the reconstruction. State Department of Transportation workers helped control traffic in the area.

 The data gleaned by investigators will be assembled and analyzed at the state crime lab in seeking to solve the case, he said.

“It’s like constructing a big puzzle,” said state police spokesman Sergeant J. Paul Vance. Calculating the trajectory of fired ammunition is a complex, time-consuming process, he said.

Depending upon workflow, it should take several weeks for investigators to produce a detailed report on the shooting scene reconstruction, he said. The Rebong murder investigation is being conducted on a full-time basis, he said.

Members of the state police Western District Major Crime squad and the Danbury State’s Attorney Office participated in the reconstruction.

State police have interviewed more than 200 people in investigating the case. Anyone with any information about the shooting incident is asked to contact state police at 800/376-1554 or 203/267-2200. No matter how insignificant a piece of information might seem to someone, it may prove useful in the investigation, according to state police.