A Bronx man has been arrested in connection with a predawn Milford home invasion that killed a 69-year-old man and left his wife recovering from a gunshot wound to the head. The case had been quiet for weeks, but the latest arrest puts a second alleged intruder in custody. Investigators say the attack was targeted, not a random threat to the neighborhood.
Ivan Barias-Florimon was arrested Tuesday by the NYPD with assistance from the U.S. Marshals Service, according to News 12 Bronx. He is being held in New York City while awaiting extradition to Connecticut, where he faces charges of murder, murder in commission of a felony, home invasion and assault of an elderly victim.
Investigators Say Intruders Entered Through Rear Door
The Milford Police Department said officers responded June 3 to a shooting at the East Broadway home, where Sandra Cooper and her husband, Frederick Werner, had been attacked by intruders. In a July 31 press release, the department said the suspects entered through a rear sliding door and that license-plate-reader data, private security footage and other camera evidence helped investigators identify the vehicle and alleged suspects.
Detectives have executed more than 27 search warrants in the case, according to the police department. Officials said Werner was pronounced dead at the scene, while Cooper suffered a gunshot wound to the head and was initially hospitalized in serious condition.
Earlier reporting by CT Post said Cooper called 911 shortly before 3 a.m. after waking to the sound of two men entering the home while she and Werner were asleep. Police described the attack as targeted and said they had no information indicating a broader threat to the community or a domestic-violence incident.
News 12 reported that police believe Barias-Florimon and Stuar Lopez-Reyes shot Werner multiple times and shot Cooper once in the head. Werner died at the scene, while Cooper was later released from the hospital and continues to recover, police said.
Second Suspect Already Arraigned
Lopez-Reyes, 25, of Bridgeport, was arrested July 30 in New Haven with help from federal marshals and arraigned in Milford the following day, according to the Milford Police Department. He faces the same core charges, including murder, felony murder, home invasion and first-degree assault of an elderly victim.
Barias-Florimon’s extradition will bring the Bronx arrest into the Connecticut court process, while Milford investigators continue working the active case. Both defendants are accused, not convicted, and the allegations will be tested in court.
