Cincinnati man convicted in 1997 murder in Lenawee County

By Charles E. Ramirez | The Detroit News (TNS)

A Cincinnati resident has been found guilty in the murder of a man whose body was found in Lenawee County nearly 28 years ago, officials said.

Richardo Sepulveda, 53, was convicted Friday of multiple felonies by a Lenawee County Circuit Court jury, the Michigan Attorney General’s Office said.

The office said the jury found Sepulveda guilty of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, which carries a penalty of life in prison without the possibility of parole; assault with intent to maim, a 10-year felony; conspiracy to commit assault with intent to maim, a 10-year felony; tampering with evidence, a 10-year felony; and conspiracy to commit tampering with evidence, also a 10-year felony.

He is scheduled to be sentenced on June 13.

“Because of the relentless efforts of the Michigan State Police, the multiple local and federal law enforcement agencies who never gave up, and the dedicated prosecutors in my office, we have brought a measure of accountability in this tragic case,” Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said in a statement. “I am grateful to the jury for their careful consideration of the evidence. This verdict serves as a reminder that every crime victim deserves justice, no matter how much time has passed.”

Sepulveda’s attorney, William Amadeo, said his client is not a killer. He also said there were many holes in the authorities’ investigation into the case, which should have resulted in the jury rendering a not-guilty verdict.

On Nov. 19, 1997, Michigan State Police were called to a Blissfield Township farm after the owner reported finding human remains in his cornfield, according to authorities. Police said the man’s body was missing its head and hands.

Investigators said the victim’s identity remains unknown, but they believe he was a 32-year-old Hispanic man from the Corpus Christi or McAllen, Texas area. They also said they think the murder was connected to international drug trafficking activities.

Officials said Michigan State Police detectives received a tip about a year after the body was found that the defendant and his brother, Michael Sepulveda, 49, of Toledo, were involved in the man’s death.

The attorney general’s office said one of the brothers came forward and implicated the other and himself in 2016.

Both brothers were arrested in January 2023 by the United States Marshals Service in connection with the cold case and extradited to Michigan, the office said.

Eight months later, a district judge ordered the two men to stand trial in Lenawee County Circuit Court.

Last August, Michael Sepulveda pleaded guilty to a charge of second-degree murder and agreed to testify against his brother in a deal with prosecutors, according to court records. He had been charged with the same crimes as his brother.

He is scheduled to be sentenced on May 15, records said. He faces up to life or any number of years in prison.

Sepulveda’s conviction is the latest example of cold cases solved by law enforcement in Michigan.

Earlier this month, a 51-year-old Detroit man was charged in connection with three sexual assaults reported more than 20 years ago.

Also this month, police said they used DNA testing to determine that human remains found in Toledo, Ohio, in 1987 were those of a missing Taylor teen.

In March, Monroe County authorities said they linked a Detroit man to skeletal remains found in a wooded lot in 1986.

cramirez@detroitnews.com

©2025 The Detroit News. Visit detroitnews.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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