On Wednesday, Jan. 14, authorities arrested Nicholas Newton, 20, of New Haven, the final suspect wanted for the fatal shooting of UConn senior and USG Sergeant-at-Arms Vladimir Voinov during a drug deal in New Haven during August of 2008. Newton had been hiding with family members in Fort Myers, Fla, when he was captured.
Florida authorities were unsure when Newton would be extradited back to Connecticut.
In September, police apprehended two other suspects in the crime, Anthony Johnson, 19, of Hamden, and Akeem Gayle, 24, of New Haven, but according to their accounts of the murder, it was Newton who actually shot Voinov while the three men attempted to rob him of the marijuana they had arranged to buy from him.
According to Deputy U.S. Marshal Paul Smith, neither of the other two suspects contributed to Newton's capture.
According to a U.S. Department of Justice press release, the New Haven Police Department discovered that Newton had relatives in Fort Myers and asked the U.S. Marshals Service Florida Regional Fugitive Task Force to conduct surveillance in the area. On Wednesday, they spotted Newton in the passenger seat of a vehicle and attempted to pull the car over. The driver refused to stop, and led authorities on a 10-minute chase before he was halted, and Newton was arrested.
None of the family members will have criminal charges filed against them. The driver, who is a minor, was issued several traffic violations.
Voinov's mother was unavailable for comment as she lives in the Ukraine, but Voinov's aunt, Elika Zektser, expressed her thanks to the police for their hard work.
"I'm glad he's been arrested," she said. "There is no closure for me, but I'm glad he's in jail."
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