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 Feb. 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.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
