DHS Seeks to Revoke 2 Green Cards After Deadly Connecticut Home Invasion

Q: Why did two men specifically target an elderly couple in a quiet beach house for such a brutal attack?

The short answer is that authorities have not publicly established a motive yet. What investigators have said is that the attack appears to have been targeted, not random and not a domestic-violence incident. That matters because it suggests the suspects likely went to that specific Milford beach house and that specific couple intentionally, rather than choosing the home by chance. Beyond that, the available reporting does not explain why Frederick Werner, 69, and Sandra Cooper were singled out. Police have released the basic facts of the shooting, the arrests, and the charges, but they have not publicly described any known relationship between the suspects and the victims, nor have they identified a robbery motive, a personal dispute, or another clear trigger. The targeted nature of the crime is based on evidence gathered at the scene and during the investigation, according to Milford police. Investigators also said there was no sign of an ongoing threat to the wider public, reinforcing the view that this was directed at these victims in particular. So the most accurate answer is that the men appear to have specifically sought out the couple, but the reason they did so remains unknown in the public record. That question will likely be answered, if at all, through court filings, prosecutors’ evidence, or future statements from investigators.

Q: What crucial clue captured by license plate readers led federal marshals directly to the fleeing suspects?

The crucial clue was the suspects’ getaway vehicle, identified through Milford police’s automated license plate reader system. Investigators said license plate reader data was “vital” because it allowed detectives to pinpoint the vehicle used in the June 3 Milford home invasion. From there, police were able to connect that vehicle to Ivan Antonio Barias-Florimon and Stuar Jose Lopez-Reyes, which led federal marshals and local authorities to the two men after the weeks-long manhunt. Public reports do not specify in the available coverage the exact plate number or a more detailed reader hit, only that the key break in the case was a license plate reader capture of the vehicle tied to the shooting. That vehicle identification ultimately gave marshals the lead they needed to track down Lopez-Reyes in New Haven and Barias-Florimon in the Bronx.

1 articles · Updated · Fox News · Aug 7

Two Dominican nationals charged in a June 3 Milford, Connecticut, home invasion that killed 69-year-old Fredrick Werner now face DHS efforts to strip their lawful permanent resident status.
DHS said Ivan Antonio Barias-Florimon, 24, entered the U.S. in 2007 as a permanent resident’s son, while Stuar Jose Lopez-Reyes, 25, arrived on a visa in 2016 and received a green card in October 2022.
Investigators say the pair broke into a beach house and shot Werner and his wife, who survived a gunshot wound to the head and remains hospitalized.
Arrests came days apart after warrants were issued July 28: Lopez-Reyes was picked up by U.S. Marshals and local police, and Barias-Florimon was arrested Tuesday in the Bronx after a two-month manhunt.
DHS called both men "criminal aliens" and said green cards are a privilege that can be revoked when U.S. laws are broken.