ROCHESTER, N.Y.–A man has been found guilty of a murder that took place inside a credit union lobby in what had been a long-time cold case before a suspect was identified.
Richard Wilbern, 59, has been convicted of the murder of Raymond Batzel in 2003 inside what was then Xerox FCU.
As CUToday.info reported earlier, at the start of the trial Wilbern was described by prosecutors as a "desperate and disgruntled man” in 2003 who was struggling financially after being fired from Xerox Corp. for constant absenteeism. It was in that state of desperation, according to Assistant U.S. Attorney Douglas Gregory, Wilbern walked into Xerox FCU on the Webster, N.Y., Xerox campus wearing an FBI jacket and a bulletproof vest, robbed it and fatally shot a member, according to the Democrat & Chronicle. According to police, Wilbern identified himself as an FBI agent as part of a ruse to convince the CU he was there for a security assessment.
Wilbern was found guilty of shooting CU member Raymond Batzel, 51, after he refused the robber's demand that he lie down on the floor with other members and CU employees.
Tip Leads to Arrest
The case remained cold until police and the FBI received a tip in 2016 offering new information. The FBI then obtained a DNA sample from Wilbern that allegedly matches an umbrella he left behind. Police said the odds of the DNA matching someone else would be one in 6.9 trillion.
Batzel Akins, who was 13 at the time, didn't think an arrest would ever be made. But a renewed push by law enforcement earlier in 2016 led to the arrest of Richard Leon Wilbern.
"I hope nobody else goes through what we had to go through in losing our father, especially in such a violent crime," said family member Batzil Akins. "Over the years, I prayed that the correct person had been caught. But then at times, I might've given up hope. In 2016, that hope was re-established, that the correct person was found for this crime."
Former CU Employee Testifies
Among those who testified as witnesses was Kimberly Scofero, who worked as a loan processor at the credit union. According to the Democrat & Chronicle, Scofero’s office was the closest to the CU’s main entrance and allowed her to see people entering and exiting.
Wilbern is scheduled to be sentenced at 9:15 a.m. Feb. 11, 2020, by U.S. District Judge Charles J. Siragusa, according to the Democrat & Chronicle.