Suspect in Hartford murder of young mom and baby nabbed in Puerto Rico

A Connecticut antheral wanted for execution successful the fatal shooting of a 20-year-old parent of 2 and her 4-month-old son was captured successful Puerto Rico connected Saturday.

The U.S. Marshals Violent Fugitive Task Force located 23-year-old Lance “Macho” Morales astatine a location successful the barrio of Fajardo successful eastbound Puerto Rico, according to Hartford police.

The Waterbury nonmigratory was taken into custody and formally charged arsenic a fugitive from justice. He’s being held connected a $3 cardinal enslaved portion awaiting extradition to Connecticut, wherever he’s expected to look execution and different charges, according to WVIT.

The apprehension comes 3 days aft authorities identified Morales arsenic a fishy successful the deadly drive-by shooting adjacent Hartford’s Thomas J. Hyland Memorial Park connected Tuesday afternoon.

Jessiah Mercado and babe Messiah Diaz were sitting wrong a car with 2 different radical connected New Britain Avenue erstwhile another operator pulled up alongside them and began shooting, constabulary said.

The parent and son, from Springfield, Mass., were struck by the gunfire and died astatine Hartford Hospital astatine abbreviated clip later.

Another rider successful the vehicle, identified lone arsenic a antheral successful his 20s, was treated for non-life-threatening injuries, portion the operator of their car was unharmed. Police said the operator was liable for rushing each of the victims to hospital.

The grisly unit prompted an aggravated manhunt for the gunman, who fled the country successful a achromatic Infiniti Q70. The vehicle was recovered abandoned successful Waterbury connected Thursday, the aforesaid time authorities issued a warrant for Morales’ arrest, charging him with 2 counts of murder, execution with peculiar circumstances, transgression possession of a firearm, first-degree battle and first-degree transgression effort to perpetrate assault.

While an probe into the shooting is ongoing, Hartford constabulary antecedently said they believed it was targeted and sparked by an statement astir a car. No different details were provided.

A GoFundMe acceptable up to rise wealth for ceremonial services described Jessiah Mercado arsenic “one of the strongest young women who did not ever person beingness truthful casual [but] enactment her bosom into everything she acceptable retired to do.”

She leaves down an older son, according to her family.

Originally Published: November 23, 2024 astatine 4:05 PM EST