Police say 20-year-old Jessiah Mercado and her four-month-old son, Messiah, were shot and killed in a car on New Britain Avenue in Hartford in November.
We’re hearing from the family of a young mother and her son who were both shot and killed in Hartford.
Some had turned up at court to be there as the accused killer was supposed to appear.
“Jessiah, I love, real, real, my heart. That’s not easy,” Jose Reyes said.
Reyes, of Springfield, Massachusetts, is in shock and holding onto memories of his granddaughter.
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Police say 20-year-old Jessiah Mercado and her 4-month-old son, Messiah, were shot and killed in a car on New Britain Avenue in Hartford in November.
For Reyes, the grief is overwhelming and he says he’s lost 40 pounds.
“I feel sad. I feel sad in my heart so I don’t sleep. I don’t sleep. When I close my eyes I see my granddaughter and my grandson and that is hard. That’s hard,” Reyes said.
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Reyes says it was important for him to be at a court in Hartford on Wednesday.
But we’re told an appearance for the accused killer did not go forward amid a commotion in the courthouse.
Lance Morales did appear last week after being extradited back to the state from Puerto Rico.
Authorities say the 23-year-old opened fire in a drive-by shooting amid a dispute about a car and that Mercado was reportedly behind on payments.
He now faces charges including two counts of murder.
For the family of the mother and son, they still don’t understand why this happened and believe it’s now in God’s hands.
“I got faith this is the God,” Reyes said.
Morales is being held on a $5 million bond in this case.
No word yet when he might be back in court.
