Randy Petersilge, 51, was arrested in the 2001 murder of Simon Clark. (New Port Richey Police Department)
A Florida man with tattoos covering his entire face was arrested Friday, nearly two decades after police say he beat a man to death.
Randy Petersilge, 51, was arrested the same day he was released from federal prison, where he was serving a sentence for being a felon in possession a firearm, WPTV reported.
In January, a grand jury indicted Petersilge on one count of first-degree murder in the beating death of Simon Clark after investigators reopened the 2001 cold case and said they found enough evidence to link the convicted felon to the murder.
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Clark, 41, was found beaten to death in November 2001 at a construction site in New Port Richey. No arrests were made at the time because there was not enough witness corroboration to build a case against Petersilge, who police believed was a possible suspect from the beginning, the Tampa Bay Times reported.
Petersilge still ended up behind bars in the years after the alleged murder. He was previously convicted in Florida for aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer, battery on a law enforcement officer, grand theft and burglary.
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Detectives reopened Clarke’s murder case in 2017 and indicted Petersilge in January 2018.
Petersilge is awaiting extradition to Pasco County Jail.
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