FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Hartford, CT) - Sharmese L. Walcott, Hartford State’s Attorney, today announced that the Honorable Carl J. Schuman on September 22, 2023 sentenced Joseph Thorpe, age 30, of Hartford, to 50 years in prison for the 2019 murder of Roberto Vargas, age 23, in Hartford.
A jury in Hartford Superior Court on July 12, 2023 found Thorpe guilty of the crime of Murder in violation of Connecticut General Statutes § 53a-54a. According to evidence introduced at trial, in the early morning hours of August 3, 2019, the City of Hartford’s Shot Spotter system detected gunfire in an area of Farmington Avenue in Hartford. Officers dispatched to the area found the victim suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. He was transported to the hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.
During the investigation, witnesses provided information that led to Thorpe’s arrest. When questioned by police, Thorpe admitted to selling drugs to the victim that night. Evidence presented at trial showed the victim was shot in the back as he ran away from the defendant. The handgun the defendant used was never recovered by police.
This case was prosecuted by Senior Assistant State’s Attorney Robin D. Krawczyk, with the assistance of Inspector Joseph Buyak, Supervisory Inspector Michael Sheldon, Inspector Edward Rodriquez, Inspector Douglas Jowett and Inspector Elisa Tuozzoli.