On a rainy summer evening in the Bronx, 31-year-old Richard Cepeda, a Hispanic male, found himself in a fatal confrontation. The events of July 11, 2019, would end with Cepeda losing his life in what police believe was a drug deal that spiraled into violence. Surveillance footage from a building on the corner of Field Place and Grand Concourse captured the harrowing moments leading to his death.
In the lobby, Cepeda was seen interacting with two men before one, wearing a distinctive gold-and-black du-rag, pulled out a handgun.
What began as a tense encounter quickly escalated. At gunpoint, Cepeda was forced from a blue lawn chair into a vestibule. As he attempted to flee for his life, a second accomplice blocked his escape and began to assault him. The altercation spilled out onto the sidewalk where, as Cepeda ran, he was shot in the back. Emergency services rushed him to St. Barnabas Hospital, but his injuries proved to be fatal, and he was pronounced dead.
The New York Police Department launched an investigation, releasing descriptions of the two suspects to the public. The first was described as a Black man with a dark complexion, wearing a black and yellow du-rag, a white t-shirt, blue jeans, and black and white sneakers. The second suspect was also described as a Black man with a dark complexion, last seen in a light-colored baseball cap, a white t-shirt, black and white sweatpants, and dark-colored sneakers.
A significant development in the case came with the identification of one of the suspects as 22-year-old William Yeaden. After a manhunt, Yeaden was apprehended on October 22, 2019, by the Miramar Police Department in Broward County, Florida. He was subsequently extradited to New York to face charges in connection with the murder of Richard Cepeda. There is no publicly available information regarding the trial, conviction, or sentence of William Yeaden, or if the second suspect was ever identified or apprehended.
