Crime & Safety

Last Arraignment Made In "Murder For Hire" Case

Trio accused of plotting homicide in August

The has heard the last arraignment in a trio of men accused of plotting a murder in August.

Antonio Pena, 35, of 187 Huntington Street, was arraigned before Judge Patrick J. Clifford on Thursday morning. Pena, along with 26-year-old Gerardo Carrillo of 64 Fawnhill Road in Westbrook and 28-year-old Elmer Alexis Melendez of 208 Crystal Ave., are charged with conspiracy to commit murder. Carrillo and Melendez each have additional charges of attempt to commit murder and possession of a weapon in a motor vehicle.

According to an affidavit by Detective Matthew Galante of the , the plot stemmed from a feud between Pena and a 37-year-old man living at 93 State Pier Road. Witnesses said Pena and the man sold drugs together but had a falling out, with Pena suspecting the man of repeatedly breaking his car windows afterward. A confidential informant told police Pena also accused the man of stealing his drug trafficking business while Pena was in a drug treatment program in New Haven.

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The informant told the Clinton Police Department about the plot, and officers took him to the New London Police Department to meet with officers there the day before the plot was to occur. The informant said he was to pick up Carrillo and Melendez at their homes and park near 93 State Pier Road around 5 a.m. He said Melendez would point a gun at the man as he left for work while Carrillo would come up behind the man and stab him.

The informant said the men would then return to the vehicle and go to Melendez’s residence, where they would change their clothes and the vehicle’s license plate. He said the clothes would later be burned. He said a person named “Wilson” was offering to pay him $1,000 to be the driver in the plot, while Melendez was to receive $10,000 and Carrillo $5,000.

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According to Galante, police observed the informant pick up both men and saw them change the license plate outside Melendez’s residence. The vehicle was pulled over on Williams Street near the intersection with Huntington Street, and police found a handgun and knife inside. During police interviews, Carrillo and a cooperating witness identified Pena as “Wilson” and he was later arrested in New Haven.

All three men are being held on $2 million bond and have entered not guilty pleas to the charges. Carrillo was arraigned on Aug. 16 and will next appear in court on Sept. 16, while Melendez was arraigned on Aug. 31 and will make his next appearance on Sept. 21. Clifford denied a defense motion to reduce Pena’s bond on Wednesday, and set his next court date at Sept. 30.


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