Jury convicts New Haven man in fatal shooting of building super

NEW HAVEN — A jury found a New Haven man guilty of murder this week in the fatal shooting of Michael Rosario in 2019, according to the state Division of Criminal Justice.

Robert Parris, 56, was convicted Wednesday of murder, criminal possession of a firearm and carrying a pistol without a permit. He was also convicted of criminal possession of a pistol or a revolver in a separate proceeding before Judge Jon M. Alander, the state agency said in a news release Friday.

“Our thoughts are with the Rosario family at this time as Michael Rosario’s life should not have ended in such a tragedy,” said New Haven State’s Attorney John P. Doyle Jr. in a statement. “While his loss is undoubtedly felt deeply by his family, we hope this verdict eases some of their pain.”

Parris is scheduled to be sentenced on April 5 in state Superior Court in New Haven.

Parris shot Rosario on Dec. 19, 2019. Officers were called to a building on Court Street around 4:15 a.m. where they found Rosario in the hallway outside of his apartment wounded by a single gunshot behind his ear, according to Parris’ arrest warrant affidavit.

Rosario was taken to Yale New Haven Hospital for treatment, but he succumbed to his injuries the next day, according to the warrant and the DCJ.

Witnesses told police that Parris had longstanding issues with Rosario, who was the superintendent of the building, including blaming him for losing his job, the affidavit said.

Though no one reported seeing Parris shoot Rosario, multiple individuals heard the noise and some saw Parris outside of the apartment just after the incident, according to the affidavit.

One witness told police that Parris had shown him a handgun and said he was going to kill Rosario, the affidavit said. Another individual said that Parris had previously threatened to kill Rosario.

Parris turned himself in to New Haven police on the morning of Dec. 20. While speaking with police, Parris confessed to the crime, saying he had been really angry at his mother and Rosario, who he believed to be working together to get him kicked out of the apartment and got him fired from his last job, the affidavit said.

“Throughout the interview Robert stated he should never had done what he did and Robert appeared to be remorseful,” police noted in the affidavit.