Investigation Continues Into Mark Rebong’s Murder

By Andrew Gorosko

State police have been interviewing the friends and associates of the late Mark F. Rebong in seeking to learn who might have shot the 28-year-old Newtown man in Danbury while he was on his way to work January 17.

State police detective Sergeant Warren Hyatt said this week the interviews seek to establish facts that will lead investigators to learn why Mr Rebong was shot and how the incident occurred.

Investigators have interviewed about 200 people overall, including about 125 motorists on Interstate-84, in seeking to learn the circumstances of Mr Rebong’s death.

Someone shot Mr Rebong in the head about 11 pm January 17 in the area of Exit 2 on I-84, while he was on his way to work as the night auditor at the nearby Danbury Hilton and Towers.

Responding to a report of a motor vehicle accident, state police found the mortally wounded Mr Rebong in his black 1999 Jeep Cherokee, which had come to rest alongside a fence near a commuter parking lot next to Exit 2. The driver’s side window of the Jeep had been shot out.

Mr Rebong died late January 18 at Danbury Hospital. An autopsy conducted January 20 found Mr Rebong to be the victim of a homicide caused by a single gunshot wound to the head.

Asked about the prospects of finding the person who shot Mr Rebong, Sgt Hyatt said, “I’m certainly optimistic. I’m optimistic and can’t be anything other than optimistic.”

The sergeant declined to comment on whether there are any suspects in the case, or on the specifics of the shooting based on evidence found at the scene of the crime. There is no indication of robbery, state police say.

State police say they are considering various scenarios to explain Mr Rebong’s death. These include: an incident of road rage in which an enraged motorist shot Mr Rebong; an incident of random violence; and the possibility that someone who knew Mr Rebong shot him for a specific reason.

Sgt Hyatt said there are a “myriad of possibilities” concerning why someone killed Mr Rebong.

State police did some ballistics investigation as part of a thorough search for evidence January 18 in the area where they found Mr Rebong, the sergeant said.

Sgt Hyatt declined to disclose the caliber of the ammunition that killed Mr Rebong, how many shots were fired at him, and the approximate distance from which the shot that killed him was fired. He also declined to disclose whether police believe the Jeep was moving when Mr Rebong was shot.

It also remains unclear exactly where Mr Rebong was shot, in relation to where he was found.

“We’ve talked to a lot of people out there... people who have been able to give us bits and pieces” of information which could help solve the crime, the sergeant said. Bits and pieces of information add up, he said.

State police conducted checkpoints at Exit 2 on late on January 18 and 25, stopping motorists there in seeking anyone who might have witnessed the crime or have information about it.

Sgt Hyatt said Connecticut State Police have been in contact with New York State Police to compare notes about an unsolved fatal shooting which occurred on I-84 in Fishkill, NY three years ago, and learn whether that crime might be related to the Rebong shooting. In the Fishkill incident, which police believe involved road rage, a 47-year-old Poughkeepsie man was shot and killed following an auto accident near the Newburgh-Beacon Bridge.

Sgt Hyatt said the Fishkill incident drew the attention of Connecticut State Police because it involved a shooting on the highway. Similarly, New York State Police are interested in the Rebong incident to learn if it is connected to the Fishkill shooting, he said.

Connecticut State Police are seeking information from the public to help them solve the Rebong murder. Investigators in the case may be contacted at 800/376-1554 or 203/267-2200. “It’s never too late to call,” the detective said.