Prime Suspect in Meriden Convenience Store Robbery, Homicide in Custody

Police have arrested the prime suspect in the June 27 robbery of a local convenience store that turned deadly when the man allegedly shot and killed the storeowner.

Frankie Resto walked into a police precinct in the Brooklyn section of New York Friday night and turned himself in to police, according to a news release issued Saturday morning by the Meriden Police Department.

Resto, 36, whose status changed from "person of interest" to "prime suspect" is being held on two warrants, according to police.

The first is a violation of probation warrant which has a $100,000 court set bond. The second is a recently secured warrant for the robbery and homicide of Ibrahim Ghazal. Charges include felony murder, first-degree robbery, criminal possession of a firearm and second-degree larceny. Resto is being held on $2 million bond for these charges.

Efforts to extradite Resto back to Connecticut are presently taking place.

On June 27, and killed by at 271 E. Main St., pointed a handgun at Ghazal and demanded money.

An unidentified witness who was inside the store at the time of the robbery told police that once the man received an undisclosed amount of money he shot the clerk in the chest and then ran out of the store.

Last week, , 25, of New Britain in connection with a robbery and shooting death of the local convenience store owner.

Breyette, of New Britain, is charged with being an accomplice to first-degree robbery and hindering prosecution, according to Meriden Det. Lt. Mark Walerysiak. Breyette is being held on $500,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in Meriden Superior Court today.

On Friday, a local businessman, who wishes to remain anonymous, for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the individual who shot and killed Ghazal.

"Resto's arrest brings to a close the round-the-clock effort of personnel in the detective division and hopefully brings a sense of peace to the families of the victim," Walerysiak wrote in Saturday's news release.