Connecticut man accused of killing mom, baby over $400 debt

Published Jan 01, 2025  •  2 minute read

Lance Benuet Morales. Photo by Handout /Hartford Police Department

A Connecticut man accused of killing a 20-year-old mother and her baby over an apparent $400 debt made his first court appearance this week.

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Lance Benuet Morales, 23, of Waterbury, Conn., is charged with murder after Jessiah Mercado and her four-month-old child Messiah Diaz were gunned down Nov. 19 in a drive-by shooting on a Hartford street.

Mercado and her son were from Springfield, Mass.

Morales, also known as “Macho,” appeared Monday in court after returning to the state on Saturday from Puerto Rico.

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“He even attempted to elude capture for several days,” a state prosecutor said, according to NBC affiliate WVIT. “He was finally located by the United States Marshals Service. He was extradited back here.”

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U.S. Marshals in Puerto Rico announced the arrest of Morales several days after the double homicide. He is also accused of injuring a third person.

According to court documents, Mercado was renting an SUV from Morales for $100 per day, but fell behind on her payments and owed him $400. That led to a dispute between them.

A witness allegedly overheard a conversation between Mercado and Morales on the day of the shooting, the documents said.

“I got my baby in the car,” Mercado allegedly told Morales, who responded with, “I don’t care,” according to the witness.

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During the court hearing, it was learned that Morales has five other cases awaiting him in Waterbury, 45 km west of Hartford.

“One is violation of probation stemming from an assault, one is a conviction where he owes seven years, another case is reckless driving, criminal mischief, tampering with evidence, interfering,” the bail commissioner said.

Morales is also facing other charges including murder with special circumstances and assault, court was told.

The judge increased the accused’s bond from $3 million to $5 million, citing the seriousness of the charges and his flight risk.

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