SAN JUAN, PR – Today, U.S. District Court Chief Judge
Gustavo A. Gelpí sentenced Juan E. Seary-Colón, a.k.a. “Ricky Diablo” to life
imprisonment for Hobbs Act robbery that resulted in murder, announced United
States Attorney Rosa Emilia Rodríguez-Vélez. The FBI and the Puerto Rico Police
Department (PRPD) were in charge of the investigation.
On February 27, 2018, after a four-day jury trial, a jury
found Seary-Colón guilty of Hobbs Act robbery, murder with a firearm during the
commission of a crime of violence, and other federal firearms offenses. During
trial, the government proved that on April 3, 2012, Seary-Colón, entered Piezas
Importadas Inc., a business dedicated to the sale of automobile parts in
Carolina, PR, and without warning, shot the manager, David Méndez-Calderón,
killing him almost instantly. The government presented eyewitness testimony
that narrated how the defendant and another assailant entered the store, shot
Mr. Méndez-Calderón, and stole approximately $1,000.00 from Piezas Importadas’
employees. Seary-Colón was identified by eyewitnesses in the days after the
robbery and was arrested by PRPD and the FBI on April 6, 2012.
Seary-Colón had an extensive criminal history that included
two murder convictions at the local level.
“I hope that this sentence will help Mr. Méndez-Calderón’s
family find some closure,” said Rosa Emilia Rodríguez-Vélez, U.S. Attorney for
the District of Puerto Rico. “We will continue to work diligently to prosecute
violent criminals to the fullest extent of the law. This crime was truly a
senseless and depraved act that took the life of a hard-working and beloved
member of our community.”
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney
Nicholas Cannon.
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