Richard Aderson (road rage killing) - anyone remember this case? - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

mdl1981 · 10-15-2010, 06:23 PM

Richard Aderson and an unidentified driver were involved in a minor fender bender along Interstate 84 near Fishkill, NY. Both pulled over to the side of the road, and the man ended up pulling out a gun and shooting Aderson. He was able to call 911, give the plates, description of the man and his car but later died. This happened in the around 1997-98 and was on UM shortly thereafter.

I live about 15 minutes away from the spot where this happened, in fact I drive this highway every night to get to work....and pass the spot. So I think about the case alot. A family friend also used to work for the NY State Police when this happened and for a few years afterwards. He would use to tell me that they would get many leads and tips, but nothing ever panned out. He was sure they would catch the guy due to the very good description but they never did while he was there. He left his job in the early 2000s, and I have never heard a word about this case since.

I have searched online but have not found a thing. I assume its still unsolved since being as I still live in the area where this happened, I'm sure catching the murderer would have made the news. But has anyone hear ever heard anything about it?

Such a tragic case really. A person loses their life over a stupid fender bender. Unreal.

crystaldawn · 10-15-2010, 08:50 PM

From what I could find there were never any arrests:

http://www.troopers.state.ny.us/want...1-cfa679fc9ed7

http://www.conradpaxnobiscum.com/ric...illed_by_rager

I agree such a horrible case of senseless violence. Richard's son has posted on here in the past. Here's the thread:

http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/...d.php?t=194007

Latka Gravas · 04-09-2021, 04:50 PM

Just saw the RA segment. Unfortunately, I'm not that surprised that RA's killer was never caught. Apparently there were only the two cars involved in the accident. And, though this happened on the side of a busy highway during the day, unless someone else was right there taking down the license plate info. of the killer, etc. - he easily could have gotten away without anyone else paying too much attention.

Also, this happened in 1997, before people had dash-cam cameras, I-phones to take pictures, etc.

johnnyangel · 04-17-2021, 02:54 PM

I would have hoped this case would have been solved by now, or perhaps the guilty party just turned themselves in after all of these years in hopes of maybe getting a reduced sentence and bringing peace to Richard's family...

Labonte18 · 04-19-2021, 01:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by johnnyangel

I would have hoped this case would have been solved by now, or perhaps the guilty party just turned themselves in after all of these years in hopes of maybe getting a reduced sentence and bringing peace to Richard's family...

Doesn't seem all that damn difficult, does it? You'd think you could pull basically every registered Green Jeep in New Hampshire and just start narrowing it down.

1990 UM fan · 02-05-2022, 05:20 AM

Today is the 25th anniversary of Richard Aderson's murder. I shared the case on my Unsolved Mysteries page. I hope that even after a quarter of a century, that his killer can still be brought to justice.

Montanacool360 · 02-07-2022, 08:32 PM

Would there be a way for police to get old car records of people who owned or leased that car the day or month of Richard murder?

TheCars1986 · 02-08-2022, 09:18 AM

This article says that the police have seemed to have tied the killer to the Amherst, NH area.

mdl1981 · 03-21-2022, 10:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheCars1986

This article says that the police have seemed to have tied the killer to the Amherst, NH area.

Thanks for posting this. Interesting that they seem to have narrowed things down to a specific area. Would be great if they finally catch this person.

MediaHoarder · 06-18-2025, 04:17 AM

Saw this one the other night, on the surface it seems simple but the more you think about it…

For starters, we only have Aderson's side of the story and only what he told 911 before he presumably lost consciousness. No one witnessed either the crash nor the shooting. Which begs the question, how much of the UM reenactment was based on evidence vs a dramatization?

Most of what I could find on this case is vague as to who was at fault in the crash, which would be interesting to know. Obviously UM portrayed Aderson in a very sympathetic light, but there might be some nuance to that.

He clearly had a cell phone, but apparently didn't call 911 until after he was shot? Why not call 911 immediately, before leaving the vehicle. Why leave the vehicle at all? The other driver didn't call 911 either, but this was 1997, he may well not have had the means.

Also, based on the photos of Aderson, the description of the other motorist, and the actors chosen to portray them I get the impression Aderson was a fairly imposing figure relative to the other man. Did he approach the other motorist in a threatening fashion that caused him to panic and pull a firearm?

On the other hand, perhaps Aderson was agitated but was simply dealing with someone who had a reason they couldn't risk interacting with the police. One theory I've seen is an off duty officer who was drunk driving. Another is someone running drugs who had a large shipment in the car. Perhaps someone wanted by the law. It's worth noting that in 1997 its very likely that anyone besides a LE officer who had NH plates was breaking the law by having a loaded firearm on their person in NY state so that suggests someone not law abiding to start with.

The car was never found, despite the fact that it had plates registered to a state so small that simply sweeping the entire registry was within the realm of possibility. That seems odd…either LE didn’t look that hard or the vehicle was repaired/disposed of. That last point would be a strong point in favor of a drug running operation which would have both the criminal connections and the funds to deal with the vehicle. Less certain that a random fugitive would be able to do so.

And as I often wonder in cases that have gone unsolved this long involving someone as thuggish as the suspect…perhaps the reason they have not surfaced is their behavior caught up with them and they crossed the wrong person somewhere along the line.

johnnyangel · 08-06-2025, 06:37 PM

I know at this rate this happened probably over 30 years ago, and Richard was able to call in to 911 after the road rage incident when he was shot, but he did not make it. Besides a composite drawing, and I think a partial license plate, there were a few other clothes.

Just wondering if there have been any new updates or new clues in the past few decades.

10-15-2010, 06:23 PM	#1
mdl1981 Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Oct 14, 2010 Location: Poughkeepsie, NY Posts: 60	Richard Aderson (road rage killing) - anyone remember this case? Richard Aderson and an unidentified driver were involved in a minor fender bender along Interstate 84 near Fishkill, NY. Both pulled over to the side of the road, and the man ended up pulling out a gun and shooting Aderson. He was able to call 911, give the plates, description of the man and his car but later died. This happened in the around 1997-98 and was on UM shortly thereafter. I live about 15 minutes away from the spot where this happened, in fact I drive this highway every night to get to work....and pass the spot. So I think about the case alot. A family friend also used to work for the NY State Police when this happened and for a few years afterwards. He would use to tell me that they would get many leads and tips, but nothing ever panned out. He was sure they would catch the guy due to the very good description but they never did while he was there. He left his job in the early 2000s, and I have never heard a word about this case since. I have searched online but have not found a thing. I assume its still unsolved since being as I still live in the area where this happened, I'm sure catching the murderer would have made the news. But has anyone hear ever heard anything about it? Such a tragic case really. A person loses their life over a stupid fender bender. Unreal.

02-05-2022, 05:20 AM	#6
1990 UM fan Unsolved Mysteries fanatic Senior Member Join Date: Jul 14, 2011 Location: United States Posts: 2,510	Today is the 25th anniversary of Richard Aderson's murder. I shared the case on my Unsolved Mysteries page. I hope that even after a quarter of a century, that his killer can still be brought to justice.
	__________________ Join my Unsolved Mysteries page (Facebook): http://www.facebook.com/pages/Unsolv...899616?sk=wall Last edited by 1990 UM fan; 02-07-2022 at 10:29 PM.

08-06-2025, 06:37 PM	#11
johnnyangel Member Frequent Poster Join Date: May 08, 2002 Posts: 329	Richard Aderson (road-rage killing) - any updates? I know at this rate this happened probably over 30 years ago, and Richard was able to call in to 911 after the road rage incident when he was shot, but he did not make it. Besides a composite drawing, and I think a partial license plate, there were a few other clothes. Just wondering if there have been any new updates or new clues in the past few decades.

10-15-2010, 08:50 PM	#2
crystaldawn Member Forum 4000 Club Member Join Date: Dec 17, 2002 Location: Illinois Posts: 4,261	From what I could find there were never any arrests: http://www.troopers.state.ny.us/want...1-cfa679fc9ed7 http://www.conradpaxnobiscum.com/ric...illed_by_rager I agree such a horrible case of senseless violence. Richard's son has posted on here in the past. Here's the thread: http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/...d.php?t=194007

04-09-2021, 04:50 PM	#3
Latka Gravas Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Apr 27, 2019 Location: United States Posts: 396	Just saw the RA segment. Unfortunately, I'm not that surprised that RA's killer was never caught. Apparently there were only the two cars involved in the accident. And, though this happened on the side of a busy highway during the day, unless someone else was right there taking down the license plate info. of the killer, etc. - he easily could have gotten away without anyone else paying too much attention. Also, this happened in 1997, before people had dash-cam cameras, I-phones to take pictures, etc.

04-17-2021, 02:54 PM	#4
johnnyangel Member Frequent Poster Join Date: May 08, 2002 Posts: 329	I would have hoped this case would have been solved by now, or perhaps the guilty party just turned themselves in after all of these years in hopes of maybe getting a reduced sentence and bringing peace to Richard's family...

02-07-2022, 08:32 PM	#7
Montanacool360 Member Occasional Poster Join Date: May 01, 2021 Posts: 60	Would there be a way for police to get old car records of people who owned or leased that car the day or month of Richard murder?

02-08-2022, 09:18 AM	#8
TheCars1986 #VLSKMS Forum Fanatic Join Date: Nov 22, 2008 Location: Maryland Posts: 8,606	This article says that the police have seemed to have tied the killer to the Amherst, NH area.

06-18-2025, 04:17 AM	#10
MediaHoarder Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Jul 18, 2021 Posts: 480	Saw this one the other night, on the surface it seems simple but the more you think about it… For starters, we only have Aderson's side of the story and only what he told 911 before he presumably lost consciousness. No one witnessed either the crash nor the shooting. Which begs the question, how much of the UM reenactment was based on evidence vs a dramatization? Most of what I could find on this case is vague as to who was at fault in the crash, which would be interesting to know. Obviously UM portrayed Aderson in a very sympathetic light, but there might be some nuance to that. He clearly had a cell phone, but apparently didn't call 911 until after he was shot? Why not call 911 immediately, before leaving the vehicle. Why leave the vehicle at all? The other driver didn't call 911 either, but this was 1997, he may well not have had the means. Also, based on the photos of Aderson, the description of the other motorist, and the actors chosen to portray them I get the impression Aderson was a fairly imposing figure relative to the other man. Did he approach the other motorist in a threatening fashion that caused him to panic and pull a firearm? On the other hand, perhaps Aderson was agitated but was simply dealing with someone who had a reason they couldn't risk interacting with the police. One theory I've seen is an off duty officer who was drunk driving. Another is someone running drugs who had a large shipment in the car. Perhaps someone wanted by the law. It's worth noting that in 1997 its very likely that anyone besides a LE officer who had NH plates was breaking the law by having a loaded firearm on their person in NY state so that suggests someone not law abiding to start with. The car was never found, despite the fact that it had plates registered to a state so small that simply sweeping the entire registry was within the realm of possibility. That seems odd…either LE didn’t look that hard or the vehicle was repaired/disposed of. That last point would be a strong point in favor of a drug running operation which would have both the criminal connections and the funds to deal with the vehicle. Less certain that a random fugitive would be able to do so. And as I often wonder in cases that have gone unsolved this long involving someone as thuggish as the suspect…perhaps the reason they have not surfaced is their behavior caught up with them and they crossed the wrong person somewhere along the line.