ROCHESTER, N.Y. – An arrest has been made in a more than decade-old cold case involving a murder inside a branch of the former Xerox FCU here.
Richard Leon Wilbern has been arrested for the 2003 murder of Raymond Batzel, a XFCU member who was inside the branch when Wilbern allegedly entered the credit union dressed as an FBI agent, including a badge and bulletproof vest, announcing he was there to conduct an audit. After a XFCU employee resisted, the suspect pulled two firearms from a briefcase and shot Batzel in the head, killing him. Another member, Joseph B. Doud, was also shot but survived his injuries.
Despite a police roadblock and helicopter search, the suspect escaped capture. Earlier this year the FBI announced it believed the suspect was connected to the Buffalo or Niagara Falls, N.Y., areas, and offered up to a $50,000 reward, while publishing enhanced surveillance photos.
Police have not released additional information on Wilbern or on what led to the arrest.