Murder victim identified

Risch Oldens

After locating the next of kin, Milford Police Department released the name of the woman allegedly murdered by her roommate on Lakeview Avenue. The victim is Rose Lourdes Gerson Garcon, 50, who lived in the 400 block of Lakeview with Edouard Risch Oldens, 18, who has been arrested for her murder.

On September 22, police were dispatched to North Church Street for a mental health call where they spoke to Oldens. During the conversation, Risch Oldens informed officers that he had killed someone and that “voices inside his head” instructed him to do so. Officers responded to the Lakeview Avenue home where they found Gerson Garcon deceased.

It is standard procedure for Milford Police Department not to release the name of the victim until notification of next of kin. Because the immediate next of kin for the victim had to travel into the United States, the department elected to provide an in-person notification which delayed release of the name of the victim.

Risch Oldens and Gerson Garcon were not related, according to the police, but were roommates. The medical examiner has released that Gerson Garcon’s cause of death was homicide by stabbing. It is also standard procedure not to release a cause of death until the medical examiner rules.

Risch Oldens was charged with one count of murder in the first degree and one count of possession of a deadly weapon during the commission of a felony. He had a presentment in Justice of the Peace Court #3 where bail was set at $680,000 cash only. Risch Oldens is scheduled to appear in the Sussex County Court of Common Please at a later date for a preliminary hearing.

Milford Police Department would like to thank the community for its continued support as they navigate through this tragic loss in the community. They would also like to thank the Delaware Department of Justice, Delaware Victim Services, Delaware Division of Forensic Science and the Dover Police Department for their assistance in this investigation.