(Rocky Hill, CT) – Chief State’s Attorney Patrick J. Griffin announced today that a jury in Superior Court in Hartford on January 29, 2026 found Shawn Milner, age 35, of Hartford, guilty of two counts of Felony Murder, in violation of Connecticut General Statutes § 53a-54c, and one count of Kidnapping in the First Degree, in violation of Connecticut General Statutes § 53a-92(a)(2)(B), stemming from the kidnapping and fatal shooting in Hartford in 2010 of Waqas “Victor” Rehman, age 42, of Farmington. The Honorable Michael J. Gustafson presided over the trial.
Evidence presented at trial showed that the victim was abducted from the sidewalk in front of his Barbour Street business, The Smoker’s Stop, on December 1, 2010. While police were responding to the reported abduction, a shots fired call was received from a location on Nelson Street, a short distance away from Barbour Street. Hartford police officers responding to the shots fired call found the victim suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. He was taken to a hospital and later died.
Following a joint investigation by the Cold Case Unit of the Office of the Chief State’s Attorney, the Hartford Police Department and the Hartford Judicial District State’s Attorney’s Office, the defendant was identified as a suspect through DNA testing. Evidence presented at trial included the defendant’s DNA being located inside the victim’s vehicle as well as on his clothing.
Sentencing is scheduled for March 23, 2026 in Hartford Superior Court.
This case was prosecuted by Senior Assistant State’s Attorneys Elena Palermo and Terence D. Mariani, Jr. of the Statewide Prosecution Bureau in the Office of the Chief State’s Attorney, with assistance from Supervisory Inspector Michael Sheldon, Inspector Elisa Mattei, retired Inspector Douglas Jowett, Paralegal Specialist Suzanne Colley, state Department of Correction liaison Officer Kevin Rival and retired Hartford Police Detective Andrew Jacobson.
The Cold Case Unit is comprised of prosecutors and investigators from the Division of Criminal Justice who work closely on cold cases with the Connecticut State Police and municipal police departments. The Cold Case Unit in the Office of the Chief State's Attorney currently includes Inspectors from the Division of Criminal Justice as well as investigators from the Hartford Police Department and Connecticut Department of Correction.
For more information about the Cold Case Unit, visit the Division of Criminal Justice’s website or the Unit’s Facebook page.