On a Monday morning in New Haven, Connecticut, the life of 28-year-old Alessia Maria Mesquita, a female, was tragically cut short. On March 22, 2021, in the Fair Haven Heights neighborhood, a domestic dispute between Mesquita and her boyfriend, 27-year-old Rashod Akeem Newton, escalated with fatal consequences. The couple was in a car with their one-year-old child when the argument occurred.
Neighbors reported hearing several gunshots around 9:19 a.m.
at the intersection of Clifton and Lenox streets. According to police reports and witness accounts, after being shot, Mesquita's body was removed from the vehicle and left on the road. Newton then fled the scene in the car with their child still inside. Responding officers and paramedics found Mesquita with multiple gunshot wounds, including a severe head injury, and she was pronounced dead at the scene. A baby bottle found near her body indicated the presence of a child.
The New Haven Police Department quickly identified Newton as the primary suspect and initiated a search for him and the missing infant. A few hours later, police located Newton and the vehicle on Eastern Street, where he was arrested. The one-year-old child was found unharmed and taken to a hospital for evaluation as a precaution. During an interview with detectives, Newton confessed to the shooting, stating that he "snapped" during the argument when Mesquita tried to leave the car with their daughter.
Rashod Akeem Newton was charged with murder, risk of injury to a child, and criminal possession of a firearm. He also had an outstanding warrant for a separate assault case in West Haven. In December 2022, Newton pleaded guilty to the charges of murder and first-degree assault. On January 26, 2023, he was sentenced to 35 years in prison for the murder of Alessia Mesquita.
