ORLANDO, Fla. – A man who spent two decades behind bars for a murder he didn’t commit is back in jail—this time in Florida, accused of attempted murder in a road rage shooting.
What we know:
Osceola County sheriff’s deputies arrested Richard Rosario, 49, last week on a charge of attempted murder. Deputies said Rosario pulled the trigger multiple times while aiming for another driver in a fit of road rage.
The victim was hit once in the neck, according to deputies. Deputies said the victim was grazed and declined to go to the hospital for treatment.
CLICK TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX LOCAL APP
Deputies said they caught up with Rosario hiding near his home with a gun in his hands.
Rosario was initially booked into jail on an improper gun exhibition charge before deputies tacked on shooting charges, including attempted murder.Jail records show Rosario is being held without bond.
The backstory:
Rosario previously spent nearly 20 years in a New York prison after a wrongful conviction. Rosario claimed from the beginning he was in Deltona, Florida, when the murder happened more than 1,000 miles away in New York City.
Rosario also claimed to have 13 alibi witnesses that could place him in Florida and clear him of murder. Rosario was prosecuted and found guilty. He was sentenced to 25 years to life.
SIGN-UP FOR FOX 35’S BREAKING NEWS, DAILY NEWS NEWSLETTERS
Rosario’s conviction was overturned in 2016 after prosecutors argued for his release. Prosecutors said Rosario’s ex-lawyers did not do enough to find the alibis. Months later, prosecutors dropped the charges against Rosario altogether.
What’s next:
Rosario’s next court date is not immediately clear.
The Source: FOX 35 News confirmed the connection through the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office. OCSO also provided FOX 35 News with a narrative of the suspected road rage shooting. FOX 35 News read case information about Rosario’s fight for innocence and gathered paperwork from a lawsuit he filed against the state over the wrongful conviction.
Osceola CountyCrime and Public Safety