Confession Leads to Murder Charges in North Carolina
An undocumented immigrant has been charged with two murders after allegedly admitting to the crimes in North Carolina, months apart. Angelvis Jesús Quintero Fernandez, 22, was arrested in Charlotte on Monday during a traffic stop that was unrelated to the charges against him, as stated by the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD).
Following an interview with investigators, Fernandez was charged with first-degree murder for the shooting death of 44-year-old Ludobin Antonio Guzman Morales. According to reports, Morales was merely observing a fight on Central Avenue on January 24 when he attempted to intervene by kicking one of the individuals involved. The police affidavit notes that while the two were surrounding each other, they hadn’t actually begun fighting.
It’s alleged that Fernandez approached Morales from behind and shot him multiple times when he fell to the ground. Reports indicate that after the initial shooting, Fernandez, along with another suspect, returned to the scene in a car and shot him again before fleeing.
The investigation into this case led to the later identification of the second shooting victim, Luis Daniel Gutierrez Mora, 31, who was found at El Paisano Restaurant in east Charlotte with critical injuries from a gunshot. Mora was subsequently taken to a hospital, where he later died from his wounds.
Authorities initially had not identified a suspect in Morales’ case immediately following the shooting but later connected the bullets found at both crime scenes. After the traffic stop, Fernandez reportedly confessed to both murders, and he has been charged with two counts of murder among other charges.
Currently, he is being held without bail at the Mecklenburg County Detention Center. Additionally, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has filed a detainer for him, citing concerns over his reintegration into society.
This arrest occurs against a backdrop of previous high-profile incidents involving undocumented immigrants in the Charlotte area. In one such case, Oscar Solrazano, another undocumented immigrant, was charged with stabbing a victim on the city’s light rail system.
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department and ICE have not yet provided further comments on these recent developments.
