Lance ‘Macho’ Morales, fled US after shooting dead mom and baby in Connecticut finally arrested Saturday in Puerto Rico’s eastern town of Fajardo on Saturday

The 23-year-old native of the Dominican Republic is awaiting extradition to Connecticut, where he faces multiple charges, including two counts murder and two counts attempted murder

The recently released ex-con reportedly drove up to the car on Nov 19 following a dispute over a vehicle and opened fire on the four occupants and fled the scene

Jessiah Mercado, 20, and her four-month-old son, Messiah Diaz, were killed – the driver was unhurt but another man in his 20s is expected to survive his injuries

U.S. Marshals arrested fugitive murder suspect Lance ‘Macho’ Morales, at a home in Fajardo, eastern Puerto Rico on Saturday. The Dominican Republic native is facing two counts of murder in the deaths of Jessiah Mercado and her infant son, Messiah Diaz  

A fugitive accused of gunning down a mother and her infant son inside a car in Connecticut was apprehended days later in Puerto Rico, federal officials said.
Lance ‘Macho’ Morales, 23, a native of the Dominican Republic, was taken into custody by the U.S. Marshals at a home in the eastern town of Fajardo on Saturday.
Morales reportedly drove up to the car on November 19, following a dispute over a vehicle and opened fire on the four occupants, striking Jessiah Mercado, 20, and her four-month-old son, Messiah Diaz. A third victim, a man in his 20s was also hit. The driver of the car escaped unhurt

New mom Jessiah Mercado, 20, and her four-month-old son, Messiah Diaz, [photo], were killed on November 19 in Hartford, Connecticut during the alleged road rampage by Lance Morales 

The driver, who was not harmed, drove to Hartford Hospital, where Mercado and Diaz died. The male passenger survived and is recovering.
Morales fled the scene of the shooting and abandoned his vehicle in Waterbury, where it was located Thursday.
Morales who is facing multiple charges, including two counts of murder, is being held by the Fajardo Police Department on $3 million bond and was charged as a fugitive from justice. He is currently awaiting extradition to Connecticut.
Hartford police said Morales will be charged with two counts of murder, murder with special circumstances, first degree assault, criminal attempt to commit first-degree assault and criminal possession of a firearm.
The fugitive appeared before a judge Monday, but his willingness to waive his rights to extradition remains uncertain.

Jessiah Mercado previously resided in Hartford and was enrolled in an anti-violence program that provides services to young women. Child welfare who said Diaz was a foster child, are investigating why he was in Hartford, Ct. with his biological mother, Mercado

The Harford Police Department said Morales was released from jail earlier this year after serving three years for attempted assault.
‘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,’ said acting U.S. Marshal for the District of Connecticut Lawrence Bobnick.
The victim, Jessiah Mercado who is survived by her older son, previously resided in Hartford and was enrolled in an anti-violence program that provides services to young women, CT Insider reported.
She then moved to Springfield, Massachusetts in 2023, to escape a culture of violence, the program’s director, Sunindiya Bhalla revealed.

Morales [photo], was released from prison earlier this year after spending in prison for attempted assault. On Nov. 19, he drove up to the car following a dispute over a vehicle and opened fire, striking Jessiah Mercado, her infant son, Messiah Diaz, and an adult male

Furthermore a spokesperson for the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families Friday revealed that baby Diaz was a foster child. Hartford authorities and the child welfare agency are investigating how the baby ended up in Harford with Mercado, his biological mother.
The family set up a GoFundMe to cover the expenses of Mercado’s and Diaz’s funeral services.