Imprisoned Man Charged In Cold-Case Homicide In Burlington Co.: Prosecutor

WILLINGBORO, NJ — A man serving prison time for a separate incident was charged with murder last week in relation to the 2016 homicide of a Burlington County man, authorities said.

Ronny Paden's new charges stem from the death of Colby Rodgers in Willingboro, according to the Burlington County Prosecutor's Office. Rodgers, 31, of Mount Laurel, was shot multiple times while sitting in the driver's seat of a vehicle in April 2016, authorities said.

Investigators determined that Paden and Rodgers were acquaintances who had a falling out before the shooting.

Paden, 31, was charged Wednesday with murder (first-degree) and weapons offenses.

He was served a warrant inside Bayside State Prison in Cumberland County, where he's serving a prison term for unrelated events.

In July, Paden was sentenced to combined terms of 15 years for two counts of aggravated manslaughter and one count of conspiracy involving a controlled dangerous substance.

The manslaughter charges stemmed from a January 2021 incident in Burlington County, while the drug offense happened in Ocean County in December 2023, according to online prison records.

Paden was set to be released from prison in July 2031.

He most recently lived in Delran.