Prison sentence handed down. (Source: Shutterstock)
A federal judge sentenced Richard Leon Wilbern Tuesday to life in prison for the fatal shooting of a credit union member during a 2003 branch robbery in Rochester, N.Y.
"After 17 years, and thanks to the tireless and relentless dedication of our federal, state and local law enforcement professionals, a cold-blooded murderer has finally been held accountable and the family of his victim has finally received some measure of justice," U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy for the Western District of New York said in a prepared statement.
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In November 2019, a jury found the 60-year-old Wilbern guilty of the crime after hearing testimony that included DNA evidence taken from the robbery scene at the former Xerox Federal Credit Union branch in Webster, N.Y. During the robbery, Wilbern shot and killed Raymond Batzel, who was a member of Xerox FCU, which is now the $941 million Xceed Financial Credit Union based in El Segundo, Calif. Another member, Joseph Doud, was shot and injured but survived.
The fatal robbery case that shocked the Rochester community went cold for 13 years, but it was never forgotten.
Finally, in September 2016, the FBI and federal prosecutors announced they solved the cold case with DNA samples, which matched Wilbern's DNA. The samples were collected from an umbrella that he left behind in the branch.
Wilbern's defense attorneys, however, argued that the government's case was circumstantial and that the specific DNA testing the feds conducted to charge their client is unreliable.
On August 12, 2003, Wilbern walked into Xerox FCU on the Xerox Corporation campus on Phillips Road. He was wearing a dark blue nylon jacket with the letters "FBI" written in yellow on the back of the jacket, sunglasses and a wig. He also carried a large briefcase, a green and gray-colored umbrella and had what appeared to be a United States Marshals badge hanging on a chain around his neck, federal investigators said.
He stepped into the cubicle of a female employee and told her that he was there to conduct a security assessment and to "stage" a robbery.
After taking out a handgun and a sawed-off shotgun from a briefcase, Wilbern ordered employees and members to lie down on the floor. While doing so, he confronted Batzel, who had just finished a banking transaction with a teller.
After a brief verbal altercation, Wilbern fatally shot Batzel, according to the federal investigation. Doud witnessed the shooting as he entered the credit union. When he turned to run back outside, the suspect shot Doud in the back.
While he held a gun in the air, he instructed credit union employees to fill a bag with cash. He grabbed about $10,000 and fled the credit union, leaving behind his DNA on the umbrella that led to his conviction.
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Peter Strozniak
Credit Union Times reporter covering credit union operations, fraud, M&As, leagues, business continuity, and breaking news.
