A 28-year-old West Haven man has pleaded guilty to federal robbery and firearm charges that federal officials said are related to the murder of 27-year-old Joseph Zargo during a drug deal on Dec. 23, 2011.
Zargo, of West Haven, was shot in the area of 50 Houston St. just before 1 a.m. that Friday morning and he was rushed to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead, police said. Zargo had turned 27 just two days earlier.
Trevor Murphy, 28, of West Haven, pleaded guilty Wednesday to federal robbery and firearm charges.
Police said Murphy was a member of the Red Side Guerilla Brims, a sect of the Bloods street gang that operated in New Haven from 2011 through 2015.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Murphy ordered ecstasy from Zargo and planned to steal drugs and cash.
Just after midnight on Dec. 23, 2011, Murphy met Zargo on Houston Street, took the ecstasy pills from him and pulled out a firearm, federal authorities said. When Zargo reached into his pocket, Murphy shot him once in the chest and Zargo died later that morning, according to federal authorities.
Murphy pleaded guilty to one count of interference with commerce by robbery and one count of using a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.
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Murphy, who has been in prison since Sept. 30, 2015, made a plea agreement to 30 years in prison.
