By Federal authorities captured Lance “Macho” Morales, the suspect in Tuesday’s fatal shooting of a Connecticut mother and her infant son, at a residence in Fajardo, Puerto Rico, on Saturday, ending a four-day manhunt.
Morales, 23, of Waterbury, Connecticut, allegedly opened fire on a car in Hartford during what police described as a dispute over a vehicle with victim Jessiah Mercado, 20. The shooting killed Mercado and her 4-month-old son, while another male passenger sustained non-life-threatening injuries.
“Since the commission of this senseless and heinous act of violence, investigators from the Hartford Police Department and the U.S. Marshals Service Violent Fugitive Task Forces in Connecticut and Puerto Rico have tirelessly worked around the clock to bring the suspect to justice,” acting U.S. Marshal Lawrence Bobnick said in a statement.
Hartford police identified Morales through surveillance video and public tips, leading to arrest warrants charging him with two counts of murder and additional offenses. The suspect, who had been released from prison this year after serving three years for attempted assault, faces a $3 million bond while awaiting extradition to Connecticut.
Acting Hartford Police Chief Kenny Howell had publicly urged Morales to surrender during a Wednesday news conference. “This hit at the heart of Hartford,” Howell said at the time, describing the shooting as a “horrific crime.”
Authorities have not indicated whether Morales has secured legal representation. Inquiries to the U.S. Marshals Service and Hartford Police Department regarding attorney information went unanswered Saturday.
