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Man Arrested In Relation To Cold-Case Murder On Day He's Released From Prison

Man Arrested In Relation To Cold-Case Murder On Day He's Released From Prison

He was arrested after serving 42 months for an unrelated crime

Claire Reid

Claire Reid

A man was arrested for a cold-case murder right after he was released from a prison for another crime.

Heavily-tattooed Randy Petersilge, from Florida, was arrested on suspicion of first-degree murder in a 2001 case that has, so far, gone unsolved.

The investigation into the murder began in November 2001 after 41-year-old Simon Clark was found dead in New Port Richey, Florida.

Horrified colleagues of Clark found his body on a construction site belonging to one of his friends. He died due to blunt force trauma, police said.

Randy Petersilge was arrested for a murder dating back to 2001.
New Port Richey Police Department

Clark had moved to the US from the UK and was married with two sons, who were aged 11 and 16 at the time of his death.

In a statement to the Tampa Bay Times, his youngest son Adam said: "Despite our grief, we maintain an unwavering commitment to the pursuit of justice for Simon. This indictment represents an important step forward in what has been, and will continue to be, a difficult and protracted process."

Petersilge was initially identified as a suspect in the case, but as several witnesses refused to cooperate cops struggled to build a solid case, the Tampa Bay Times reports.

However, new testimony from a key witness has since come forward, says New Port Richey detective Joe Loppolo, who is leading the case.

This led to the case being re-opened and, in January 2018, Petersilge was indicted by a grand jury.

Simon Clark was killed in 2001.
New Port Richey Police Department

While this was going on, Petersilge was sat behind bars for possession of a firearm, for which he was sentenced to 42 months in prison in 2015.

He also has previous convictions for aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer, battery on a law enforcement officer, grand theft and burglary.

Upon his release last week, he was arrested on a warrant from Pasco County.

He is currently awaiting extradition to Pasco County, where he will stand trial for first degree murder.

Featured Image Credit: New Port Richey Police Department

Topics: US News, crime