Two Hartford Men Charged With Murder
(HARTFORD, Conn. - United States Attorney Deirdre M. Daly, Chief State’s Attorney Kevin T. Kane, Patricia M. Ferrick, Special Agent in Charge of the New Haven Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Michael J. Ferguson, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration for New England, and Hartford Police Chief James C. Rovella, today announced that Jimel Frank - , also known as “30” and “Velly,” and Karl Roye - , also known as “Eagle,” have been charged with the April 2011 murder of Anthony Parker of Hartford.
This matter stems from a long-term investigation being conducted by the FBI’s Northern Connecticut Violent Crimes Task Force, DEA and Hartford Police Department into narcotics trafficking by members and associates of the WestHell and Team Grease street gangs and gang-related violent activity. Officers and inspectors from the Cold Case Unit of the Office of the Chief State’s Attorney are actively participating in the investigation.
At approximately 10:47 a.m. on the morning of April 6, 2011, the Hartford Police Department received a report of shots fired in the vicinity of 15 Thomaston Street in the Blue Hills Section of Hartford. Officers responding to the scene located Anthony Parker, also known as “Smooth,” 24, seated in the driver’s seat of a vehicle in the driveway of 15 Thomaston Street. Parker was unconscious and suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. Parker was transported by ambulance to Saint Francis Hospital where he ultimately succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced deceased.
The complaint alleges that Frank and Roye conspired to engage in, and engaged in, a Violent Crime in Aid of Racketeering, namely the murder of Anthony Parker.
Frank, 27, of Hartford, was arrested today. He appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Thomas P. Smith in Hartford and is detained.
Roye, 24, formerly of Hartford, has been detained since September 2013 on an unrelated offense and currently is in the custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
If convicted of the charges, each defendant faces a maximum term of imprisonment of life, or death if the government seeks the death penalty in this matter.
U.S. Attorney Daly stressed that a complaint is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. Charges are only allegations, and each defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Chief State’s Attorney Kane noted that the unsolved homicide of Anthony “Smooth” Parker was included in cold case playing cards sold to inmates in Connecticut’s state correctional facilities. Each card in the deck features a photograph and brief details about a homicide or missing person case and lists telephone, mail and e-mail contacts that inmates can use to supply information.
This ongoing investigation is being conducted by the FBI’s Northern Connecticut Violent Crimes Task Force, DEA, Hartford Police Department and Cold Case Unit of the Office of the Chief State’s Attorney.
The FBI Task Force includes members of the Hartford Police Department, East Hartford Police Department, Connecticut State Police and Connecticut Department of Correction.
