Nearly seven years after a young man was found stabbed in a northeast Raleigh park, police say they finally have their suspect.
Raleigh officers arrested 49-year-old Roger S. Riddick on Thursday, May 21, on a murder charge in the 2019 killing of 24-year-old Jorge Alberto Zelaya. Zelaya was discovered fatally wounded in the parking lot outside the Brentwood Park Community Center in early June 2019. Riddick is now being held at the Wake County Detention Center.
How detectives say they solved the case
According to investigators, the break came after Raleigh detectives took a fresh look at evidence from the original case file. They resubmitted materials to the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation crime lab and used forensic techniques that were not available in 2019. Police say those new tests pointed to Riddick, and that finding prompted the Wake County District Attorney’s Office to approve a murder charge. Riddick was booked on a murder warrant and is being held without bond, police told CBS17.
What happened in 2019
Zelaya was found dead shortly before 7 a.m. on June 6, 2019, in the parking lot of the Brentwood Park Community Center at 3315 Vinson Court in northeast Raleigh. At the time, local coverage reported that he died from stab wounds and that a passerby walking a dog came across his body, sparking a homicide investigation, as reported by The News & Observer.
Forensics leads to arrest
Investigators now say it was newly available forensic technology that allowed them to recheck old evidence and connect it to Riddick. Authorities have not released any information about a possible motive. The forensic match and the filing of charges represent the first major public development in the case since 2019, according to police statements reported by CBS17.
What’s next
Riddick remains in custody as prosecutors prepare formal filings and schedule court appearances in Wake County. Raleigh police say the investigation is still active and that they plan to release additional details as court dates and documents are set.
