Hartford police make arrest in 2004 murder of Edgardo Vasquez.
HARTFORD — The July 2004 killing of Edgardo “Juju” Vasquez has been solved, Hartford police said Thursday morning.
Carlos Rosario, 31, of Kent Street in Hartford, confessed to Hartford detectives that he shot and fatally wounded Vasquez on June 30, 2004 in front of 56 Whitmore St. Vasquez died early July 1, 2004 at Hartford Hospital. His arrest is pending.
A second man, Ishmael Gomez, 28, of Manchester, was picked by Manchester police Thursday night. He was driving a taxi cab on Main Street in Manchester when officers took him into custody on a warrant charging him with being an accessory to murder.
The shooting occurred about 11:30 p.m. June 30, 2004. Vasquez had borrowed a car and he and two friends were riding around when they stopped on Whitmore Street. Another vehicle pulled alongside, someone yelled Vasquez’s name, and then someone in the back seat opened fire, according to retired Hartford police Sgt. Christopher J. Lyons, who hosts a cold case feature on FOX CT.
Rosario is in prison on unrelated charges, said Hartford police Deputy Chief Brian Foley.
Vasquez suffered gunshot wounds to the chest and abdomen. His friends pulled him out of the driver’s seat and drove him to Hartford Hospital, where he later died.
Vasquez, 21, lived on Wadsworth Street in Hartford with his girlfriend. He was the eighth homicide victim of 2004.
By David Owens, Hartford Courant
