Thomas Rolfes, Liz Fried.Photo: GoFundMe
The arrest of Ernest Weatherspoon was announced during a press conference Thursday — a day after a grand jury indicted the 44-year-old suspect on second-degree murder and armed robbery charges.
The arrest comes more than five years after Rolfes was allegedly robbed and fatally shot in the chest.
The shooting happened a month after Rolfes got engaged; he and his fiancée, Liz Fried, were in town to start planning their wedding.
The couple met while attending Tulane.
Rolfes was found unresponsiveat about 4:30 a.m. on May 7, 2016, and pronounced dead at the scene, police said. There were injuries on Rolfe’s hands, indicating that there may have been a struggle, according to police.
Ernest Weatherspoon.JPSO
Weatherspoon was arrested early Thursday. He has yet to appear before a judge to plead to the charges, and it was unclear if he had an attorney who could comment on the allegations on his behalf.
Rolfes, who lived in St. Louis, was a former aide to Republican Senator Mitt Romney, and had worked on the Republican politician’s 2012 presidential campaign.
Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up forPEOPLE’s free True Crime newsletterfor breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.
“It’s been a roller coaster of emotions,” Fried told the station. “We’re happy that we’re finally seeing some justice. But as the DA said this morning, it will never bring him back. But I’m just happy that after all this time, we’re finally getting some answers.”
Rolfes was killed after a night out with friends, when he was mugged soon after leaving a New Orleans bar.
Days later,Fried spoke to PEOPLE, and said Rolfes “was just the kindest person and the greatest friend to every single person. He touched the lives of so many people and made such an impact on those he met. He was always smiling and always willing to help out. He truly was an amazing, genuine person and the world is a worse place without him in it.”
source: people.com
