Woman Extradited From Pennsylvania Charged in Deadly Connecticut Shooting That Started as Botched Robbery

WATERBURY, Connecticut — A woman accused of taking part in a deadly 2024 shooting in Waterbury has now been extradited from Pennsylvania and formally charged in the murder case after more than two years on the run.

Police identified the suspect as 19-year-old Desire Aitken. Investigators say she was 17 years old when 38-year-old Keno Williams was shot and killed during what authorities described as a botched marijuana robbery near Bertie’s Restaurant on North Main Street in Waterbury.

The case dates back to January 30, 2024. Officers initially responded to reports of a car crash near the restaurant around 7:49 p.m. When police arrived, they found a vehicle that had driven through a parking lot and crashed into a backyard after striking several objects.

As officers investigated the crash scene, they discovered the driver, Keno Williams, had been shot in the back of the head. He was rushed to a hospital but later died from his injuries.

Detectives say the shooting happened during a robbery involving marijuana. Days after the killing, police arrested another suspect, Angela Bodden-Mitchell, who later pleaded guilty to murder during the commission of a felony for her role in the robbery. In November 2025, she was sentenced to 27 years in prison.

Authorities continued searching for Aitken, who investigators believed was the actual shooter. After a long fugitive investigation involving the Waterbury Police Criminal Investigation Bureau, the Waterbury Police Fugitive Task Force, and the U.S. Marshals Task Force, police tracked her down in Pennsylvania on April 10, 2026.

She was extradited back to Connecticut on May 1 and formally served with her arrest warrant after arriving in Waterbury.

Aitken is now charged with murder, first-degree robbery, illegal discharge of a firearm, first-degree assault involving the discharge of a firearm, carrying a pistol without a permit, and additional robbery-related charges.

A judge set her bond at $2 million, with 30 percent required in cash.