In the East Harlem neighborhood of New York, a 44-year-old man named Richard Robayo was killed on the evening of February 19, 2020. The fatal incident occurred within the hallway of the James Weldon Johnson Houses, a public housing development on East 115th Street. Just after 7 p.m., Robayo was shot in the head on the eighth floor of the building and was pronounced dead at the scene by emergency medical services.
At the time of his death, he had been staying with his girlfriend in an apartment on the seventh floor of the same building.
The investigation into Robayo's death suggested that he was likely the victim of a robbery. He was known to be involved in dealing cocaine and heroin to residents in the development, and it is believed he was in the process of a transaction when he was killed. Robayo had a considerable criminal history, which included multiple arrests for drug-related offenses and tampering with MetroCard machines.
Despite the police's efforts to piece together the events leading to his death, the investigation was met with significant challenges. A lack of witnesses and a general reluctance among residents to cooperate with law enforcement hindered the progress of the case. Law enforcement officials explored various leads, examining Robayo's past criminal activities and his connections within the housing development in an attempt to identify a suspect. However, in the months that followed the shooting, no arrests were made, and the case remained unsolved. The investigation into the murder of Richard Robayo is ongoing.
