Prince William County Police Department HILLARY ROBINETTE AWARD

OnJuly 20, 2022, the Violent Crime Unit (VCU) was called out to investigate a homicide that occurred in the area of Georgetown Road. The victim was shot multiple times by two unknown suspects.

Master Detective Cupka was appointed as the lead detective.

On August 4, 2022, Officers Ostergren, Alicea, and Anderson responded to an address on Palm Road for a warrant service. The officers made contact with the wanted juvenile suspect. As they took him into custody, a loaded 9mm handgun was located underneath him as he was lying in bed. The firearm was quickly collected, and the juvenile’s mother gave the Officers consent to search his room. While Officer Ostergren dealt with the juvenile, Officers Alicea and Anderson searched the room. They located a loaded 50-round drum-style magazine, 124 Fentanyl pills, and U.S. Currency. Additional charges were obtained on the juvenile by Officer Ostergren.

Master Detective Cupka received multiple tips for possible homicide suspects. One of the tips identified the juvenile as a suspect. Master Detective Cupka read about the arrest of the juvenile and the recovery of the firearm. He sent the firearm to the ATF’s lab to be tested against the spent casing recovered from the homicide scene.

A few weeks passed, and the results from the ATF confirmed the firearm was the same one used in the homicide. Shortly after receiving the news, VCU executed a search warrant at the juvenile’s home and recovered numerous pieces of evidence which linked him to the homicide.