Previous Story
Yap governor: Arrests are made in shooting murder of acting AG
Arrests have made in the murder of an acting attorney general of one of the states of the Federated States of Micronesia.
In a statement yesterday, Yap Gov. Henry S. Falan announced that arrests were made yesterday in the murder of acting attorney general Rachelle Bergeron, who was fatally shot at her residence on Yap last Oct. 14, 2019.
The statement did not identify the person or persons who’ve been arrested.
“The next stage in the investigation will be the court proceedings as [Yap] moves toward the final stage of conviction,” Falan said in the statement. “No names will be issued by the authorities at this time. We will keep the public informed at the appropriate time as the court case moves ahead.”
Bergeron first arrived in Yap in 2015 to work as an assistant attorney general. She became acting attorney general to the FSM island in January, and was a member of the State Bar of California. Bergeron went to the University of Florida College of Law.
Rachelle Bergeron
An Associated Press story about the shooting said that Bergeron’s husband was inside the couple’s house Monday night baking brownies with a local child the couple was helping care for when somebody fired three shots at Bergeron as she pulled up and opened the back of her Subaru hatchback, killing both her and her dog, said one friend, Amos Collins.
Bergeron was pronounced dead on arrival at the Yap Memorial Hospital on the evening of Oct. 14, 2019. Reports note that she was shot at about 7pm after taking her dog out.
“…[Governor Falan] expresses his solemn gratitude and heartfelt thanks to the joint investigating team of the Yap State Police Department, Office of the Attorney General and their external partners, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the FSM Department of Justice for their hard work and dedication during the past two weeks to bring this case to a close. [Falan] also would like to thank the community and citizens of Yap for their contributions, support, patience, and prayers during this stressful time. May God bless us all,” a statement from the Yap government stated.
The killing has shocked the tiny island of Yap, which is home to 11,000 people.
