Woman owed man $400 for SUV when she and her baby were killed in Connecticut, police say

HARTFORD, Conn. — A man charged in a drive-by shooting that killed a woman and her 4-month-old baby in Connecticut was ordered held on $5 million bail Monday, as a newly released arrest warrant alleged the woman owed him $400 in rent for the use of his SUV.

Lance “Macho” Morales, 23, made his first appearance in state court in Hartford in the Nov. 19 killings of Jessiah Mercado, 20, of Springfield, Massachusetts, and her son, Messiah Diaz. A third person was shot but survived, and a fourth person in the vehicle was not injured.

Morales, of Waterbury, Connecticut, is charged with murder, assault and other crimes. He was extradited on Saturday to Connecticut from Puerto Rico, where he was arrested on Nov. 23. He could face life in prison without the possibility of parole if convicted.

Police alleged in the arrest warrant that Morales pulled up next to the vehicle the victims were in and opened fire in broad daylight in Hartford, after a brief exchange with Mercado in which she told him her baby was in the SUV. Morales replied, “I don't care,” according to a witness quoted by police in the warrant.

Authorities said in the warrant that they believe the shooter's firearm was fully automatic.

Morales' lawyer at the hearing did not directly respond to the allegations, saying only that Morales could not afford to post the $5 million bail and he is a lifelong Connecticut resident.

The arrest warrant said Mercado was renting a Mazda SUV from Morales for $100 a day and fell behind on the payments, owing him $400.

Morales was previously convicted of an unrelated attempted assault and has several other pending criminal cases in the state. His next court date was set for Jan. 8.

During Monday's hearing, a man in the courtroom yelled at Morales. Relatives of the victims declined to comment outside of court.