A 22-year-old man, already in custody for a January killing, is now facing a second murder charge following a fatal shooting last weekend in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Angelvis Jesus Quintero Fernandez was served with updated warrants on Wednesday while being held under an ICE detainer. Authorities claim he was living in the country without legal authorization.
The most recent case began in the early morning hours of Sunday, March 22, when Charlotte-Mecklenburg police responded to an assault call on Abermarle Road.
According to an affidavit seen by WBTV News, officers discovered Luis Guitierrez Mora around 2:12 a.m. on the ground suffering from a gunshot wound.
WSOC-TV reported that Mora was gunned down following a fight outside of the El Paisano Restaurante. While Mora was rushed to a nearby hospital, Fernandez was apprehended the following day on an unrelated charge.
During that initial arrest, police officially linked and charged him with the January shooting death of 44-year-old Ludvin Antonio Guzman Morales.
The first homicide occurred along Central Avenue, where Morales was shot multiple times in the street while trying to intervene in a fight. Although a suspect was not immediately identified in January, investigators were eventually able to link the two cases because spent bullet casings found at the January scene matched the gun used in the Albemarle Road shooting just two miles away.
The investigation into the Albemarle Road shooting progressed quickly after Fernandez allegedly confessed to shooting More during a police interview.
Court documents further reveal that Fernandez actually confessed to shooting both victims. He was initially booked on several counts, including attempted first-degree murder, felony conspiracy and possession of a stolen firearm.
However, the legal weight of the case shifted Tuesday when Mora died from his injuries. Following his death, the district attorney’s office officially upgraded the attempted murder charge to first-degree murder.
Fernandez appeared in court this week, where he was denied bond. Beyond the two counts of first-degree murder, his status is further complicated by the ICE detainer filed during his processing.
He remains in the Mecklenburg County Jail as the judicial process for both homicides moves forward.
