Delaware State Police have arrested a Seaford man wanted in connection with a 2024 homicide in Maryland. The arrest occurred on May 2, 2025, following a joint operation between the Delaware State Police and the Millsboro Police Department.
Fernando Medina-Moreta, 28, was apprehended during a traffic stop on northbound DuPont Boulevard near Avenue of Honor Road in Millsboro. Authorities had received a tip earlier that evening that Medina-Moreta, who was wanted for murder in Maryland, was parked outside a business on Centerview Drive. He was located driving a dark gray Honda Accord with Delaware tags and taken into custody without incident. A search of his vehicle revealed a loaded 9mm Glock handgun concealed under the driver’s seat. The firearm was later confirmed to have been reported stolen from Pennsylvania.
Medina-Moreta was transported to Delaware State Police Troop 4 and formally charged with multiple felony offenses, including Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felony, two counts of Possession of a Firearm by a Person Prohibited, Carrying a Concealed Deadly Weapon, Receiving a Stolen Firearm, and Fugitive from Another State. He was arraigned at Justice of the Peace Court 7 and committed to Sussex Correctional Institution on $13,500 cash bail. He remains in custody pending extradition to Maryland.
Authorities in Maryland identified Medina-Moreta as the primary suspect in the June 10, 2024, shooting death of Franklin Abraham Perez Rodriguez, 23, of Miami, Florida. The fatal shooting occurred around 2:30 a.m. in the 700 block of E. Naylor Mill Road in Salisbury. Rodriguez was transported to TidalHealth Peninsula Regional Hospital, where he was later pronounced deceased.
According to Maryland investigators, the incident began as a physical altercation between Medina-Moreta and Rodriguez. During the confrontation, Medina-Moreta allegedly drew a firearm and shot Rodriguez before fleeing police said.
He is currently charged in Maryland with first- and second-degree murder and related offenses. The Maryland State Police Homicide Unit is leading the investigation, with assistance from the Salisbury Police Department, Delaware State Police, and the Wicomico County State’s Attorney’s Office.