CT man sentenced to 35 years for role in killing of rideshare driver dumped in park near playground

A New Haven man was sentenced to 35 years in prison on Thursday for his role in the killing of a rideshare driver whose body was dumped in a park in Woodbridge in 2021, officials said.

Jorden Rudel, 27, was sentenced by Judge Gerald L. Harmon after pleading guilty in New Haven Superior Court to a charge of felony murder following an investigation into the fatal shooting of 33-year-old Rondell Atkinson on June 7, 2021, according to the Connecticut Division of Criminal Justice.

Multiple law enforcement agencies investigated the homicide that culminated in a trial of Rudel’s co-defendant, Rickey Traynham, in May 2023.

According to the arrest warrant affidavits in the case, Atkinson, a West Haven man who worked for New Haven’s ride service for seniors and ride-sharing services like Uber, was targeted by Rudel and Traynham in a robbery plot at the Pease Road Playground in Woodbridge.

Rudel reportedly told family members after the killing that he and a friend attempted to rob a driver who previously helped him with “off the books” rides before shooting him upon realizing the victim could identify them, court records showed.

Atkinson’s body was left at the Alegi Athletic Fields in Woodbridge, where he was found by a jogger the morning after he was killed, according to the affidavits.

Four days after the shooting, detectives found Atkinson’s car near a dumpster in an apartment parking lot in New Haven, about a half-mile away from where Traynham lived. They found Traynham’s fingerprints on the vehicle and were able to track down a woman whose phone was the last device to connect to the car’s Bluetooth stereo, court records showed. The woman told investigators she had sex with Traynham in the backseat of the car a day or two after the murder, according to court records.

An investigation also showed that Traynham and Rudel unsuccessfully tried to withdraw money from Atkinson’s bank accounts through Cash App following his death, court records showed.

Traynham was found in possession of the two murder weapons when police arrested him on July 11, 2021, according to officials.

A Superior Court jury on May 30, 2023, found Traynham guilty of murder, and he was sentenced by Judge Elpedio N. Vitale to 80 years in prison on Aug.4, 2023.

“We are grateful to the Woodbridge Police Department, Connecticut State Police, and Division of Scientific Services for their tireless work on this investigation,” State’s Attorney John P. Doyle, Jr. said in a release on Thursday. “We appreciate all of Rondell’s family and friends who showed up at Rudel’s sentencing today to let the court know of the positive impact Rondell’s life had on his community and how much he will be missed. Although Rondell can never be replaced, we hope the sentences of these two defendants have brought a sense of justice and closure to all of those impacted.”