Hey!
Alessia was my best friend,
my go-to person for everything.
She was always positive, goofing around about everything.
I remember her being a very happy mother.
SANDY: Alessia was taught kindness.
I came to learn that Rashod was not
the same person that she was.
AYALA: I think Rashod was jealous of any attention
Alessia give to anybody.
He just wanted her all to himself.
I told Alessia, "You gotta stay away from him.
Something's not right with this boy. He's crazy as hell."
CORDERO: You don't know what this person's capable of.
You have to expect the worst.
[four gunshots blast]
[theme music playing]
NARRATOR: 24-year-old Alessia Mesquita, her son, Joe,
and her best friend, Liz Ayala,
are on holiday in Puerto Rico.
AYALA: It was a big resort.
They had their own private beach.
Our main thing was just hanging out at
the pool and going out to eat.
It was just a great time.
So it was me, Alessia, and baby Joe in
the hotel room.
Alessia was really relaxed on that vacation.
It kind of eased her mind from what she was going through
at home.
It was just a break from reality.
NARRATOR: Alessia was born on June 20th, 1992, in New Haven,
Connecticut, to parents Sandy and George Mesquita.
My son was probably three or four at the time.
He was, like, in love with his little sister,
and it was just a very beautiful time
in my life.
She loved school.
She would come home, start her homework right away.
She always wanted to strive for the A.
NARRATOR: During her freshman year
at Wilbur Cross High School,
Alessia meets her best friend, Liz.
Alessia was very outgoing.
Her personality just rocked, like she's goofy.
I think that was one thing that me and her had, like, really
in common -- we just bonded.
NARRATOR: In 2010,
Alessia starts dating fellow student, Joseph Martinez.
MARTINEZ: Me and Alessia started off as friends.
We were just in school together all
the time, helping each other, and then it came to
a point where we just started dating.
Alessia was a very loving woman.
We just figured one day, why not?
We'd just get married and just be with each other forever.
NARRATOR: In February 2012,
19-year-olds Joseph and Alessia tie the knot.
MARTINEZ: We actually went to City Hall and did
a little ceremony together.
We were just a happy little couple,
just went out, had a good dinner,
and just enjoyed each other.
NARRATOR: Eleven months later, in January 2013,
Alessia gives birth to a son, Joe.
It was a very happy time.
Alessia was glowing.
MARTINEZ: It was just a life-changing thing.
It was just I wanted to do everything better in life
for him, and especially for her.
Joe was looking into getting better employment, which he did.
He ended up getting a job at the hospital, and Alessia was
pretty much a stay-at-home mom.
She was a great mom.
She did everything for him.
This clip...
they're sharing a Twizzler.
[Joe laughing]
They would always do these silly things like that.
[Joe laughing]
NARRATOR: Despite being a mom, Alessia continues to spend time
with her friends.
As a mom, sometimes you need
time away from your kids.
So when me and Alessia hung out
to kind of, like, destress ourselves,
we used to go on trips.
We were in New York at that time for my cousin's birthday,
and Alessia took my phone,
and she just decided to record us.
We were just being silly on our way back to the car.
[singing indistinctly]
AYALA: We just had a blast that day.
NARRATOR: But back in New Haven, the pressure of being
young parents puts a strain on Alessia and Joe's relationship.
AYALA: After we went on our trip,
Alessia and Big Joe's marriage was falling apart.
I think she was mainly stressed about having baby Joe all
the time, and she didn't have, like, a break.
Things were just not working out.
I think Alessia was headed more in another direction,
where she wanted more from her life.
Me and Alessia got married at an early age.
We grew out of it in a way.
I don't want to say that it was fine.
I put my feelings aside for my son and just being there
for him.
NARRATOR: In June 2018, Alessia and Joseph separate.
Alessia and little Joe move in with Liz.
She and baby Joe were like
the light in my life around that time.
Alessia was cooking, so I was recording her.
We just always had a blast.
It was -- we didn't have to do anything
extraordinary to have fun, like singing in the kitchen,
old Spanish songs, and just hanging out.
NARRATOR: Alessia continues to co-parent little Joe
with her ex-husband, Joseph,
while settling into her own life.
Alessia was excited.
I think she felt more like herself again.
She did start dating again, and she seemed like she was
really happy.
NARRATOR: In November 2018, Alessia moves into
a house in West Haven with two friends to have more room
for herself and little Joe.
She also secures a new job as a medical assistant at
an urgent care center.
AYALA: Alessia loved her job.
She loved patients, she loved helping people.
She wanted to move up in her career.
NARRATOR: In January 2019, the whole family comes together
to celebrate little Joe's sixth birthday.
Whoo!
[all singing]
Me and Alessia did a birthday party for him,
and it was very big.
All our families came -- we couldn't wait to blow
the candle off the cake and sing "Happy Birthday."
I felt like when we were together,
he would be extra happy, because, you know,
he wants both his parents together.
[cheering]
NARRATOR: But Alessia has been seeing someone new.
AYALA: She was just like, "This kid
"I used to have a crush on in elementary school
came back around," and she's starting to see him,
and she seemed pretty happy.
SANDY: His name was Rashod Newton.
He was a painter for his uncle's company.
Alessia is recording him, and they have, like,
a filter voice.
[Alessia speaking]
[Rashod speaking]
[Alessia speaking]
SANDY: Looks like they're enjoying themselves
as being a couple, both of them being silly.
[Rashod speaking]
[Alessia speaking]
[Rashod speaking]
NARRATOR: Eight months into their relationship,
Alessia finds out she is pregnant.
SANDY: Alessia had one of her sonograms, and she sent it to me.
She was all excited.
She's like, "Look, look!"
And I jokingly said, "What is it?"
I didn't think Alessia wanted to have any more kids
anytime soon.
But I think that it was a pleasant surprise for her,
and she took it in stride.
NARRATOR: Sandy is eager to know her daughter's new boyfriend
and invites the couple out for dinner.
SANDY: He was very touchy.
He had his hand around her, hold her hand,
and just appeared to be very loving to her.
They were from two different worlds.
It was something new, something fun,
something exciting.
And then I said, "Well, you know
what are we gonna do?"
Because, you know...
another baby being brought in the world.
He goes, "Oh, I'm -- I'm here for her.
I'm gonna help her out."
And I looked at him, and I said, "Are you sure?"
And he goes, "Yeah," he goes, "I'm --
I'm gonna be there for her."
NARRATOR: Despite this new chapter
starting in Alessia's life, friend Liz is concerned.
When Alessia got pregnant with Rashod,
I didn't see much of her at all, and we would text here
and there, and she would tell me that she misses me.
But when it came down to actually being together,
I think Rashod was a little strict.
I think Rashod was jealous of any attention
Alessia give to anybody.
[Joe giggling]
Alessia told me that Rashod wasn't too fond of baby Joe.
I think he wanted her to kind of, like, X baby Joe out,
and baby Joe was, like, the center of Alessia's world.
That was a big flag for me.
NARRATOR: In October 2019,
Alessia's family throws her a gender reveal party.
The gender reveal was kind of like a Halloween theme.
They had it in October where they used the pumpkin
to kind of bring in the gender reveal.
SANDY: She was happy she was having a baby girl.
She just wanted to do so much and buy baby stuff.
Rashod was definitely there.
He wasn't really interacting with other people.
I know that Alessia used to tell me that she has
a hard time taking him anywhere,
because he doesn't talk to anybody.
So she tries not to really take him anywhere, and then when...
she tries to go somewhere, he always gives her, like,
a hard time, like, "Why are you going?"
He ousted her from a lot of her friends.
NARRATOR: Alessia's son, Joe, is happy about
becoming a big brother.
Alessia was recording of him rubbing on her belly
when she was pregnant.
[Alessia speaking]
He would always ask, "When is she coming out?"
And I would say, "Joe, they come when they want,"
and he goes, "But I'm ready to see the baby."
He was excited. That was for sure.
I invited Alessia over for a pool day.
[indistinct conversations]
And she asked if Rashod could come.
I said sure, you know,
she seemed pretty happy about him.
But the day of the pool, I kind of, like, felt
Rashod's energy.
-[laughter] -Whoo!
[indistinct exclamation]
She wanted to get in the pool, and he wasn't really
psyched about it.
He wanted her to sit right next to him.
He was, like, jealous and controlling.
He just wanted her all to himself.
Alessia is a person that just sees
the good in everybody.
Maybe she seen something good in him
that nobody else could see.
I never understood, to be honest.
SANDY: One day, we were out and about.
It was me and the kids and, um, my kids' dad.
My daughter, Sasha, text me, and she said,
"Can you come home?"
And I said, "What's wrong?"
And she actually called me, and she says,
"Rashod and Alessia,
"they're arguing in the room.
"He's yelling at her, she's yelling at him,
and I'm scared."
When we got there, and I opened the door, and I was like,
"What's going on here?"
And he, like, looked at me, and he was saying,
"Your daughter always wants to argue with me about stuff."
And she said, "Oh, he thinks I'm stupid,
"because I went through his phone,
and I know that he's talking to other girls."
So he ultimately apologized and said, "I'm sorry."
But that was definitely, like, the first eye-opener that I saw
when they were -- were arguing.
NARRATOR: Alessia is still living with two friends,
a couple, upstairs in their loft.
SANDY: One night, I got a text from her, and I had to
do, like, a double-take on the phone.
I was like, "What? What did you say?"
She said, "Rashod shot my roommate."
My heart just dropped.
I said to Alessia, "Where are you?"
And she said, "I'm in the car.
He made me leave with him."
And I said to her, "Put on your GPS.
I need to track you."
She said, "Oh, my God,
if he finds out," she goes, "he's gonna be upset."
So I got in my car.
It was me and my son, her brother, and we tracked her.
NARRATOR: Alessia escapes from Rashod's car
at a local gas station, where Sandy
and her son retrieve her.
She was very shooken up.
She was crying, and she was shaking.
NARRATOR: West Haven PD interviews Alessia's
injured housemate as he is released from hospital.
Whatevers.
[gunshot blasts]
NARRATOR: West Haven police issue an arrest warrant for
Rashod Newton.
[door creaks]
The next day, Alessia films the aftermath of
the shooting at the house with her mom, Sandy.
SANDY: I told Alessia, "You gotta stay away from him."
Something's not right with this boy.
He's as crazy as hell.
NARRATOR: As Rashod hides from the police,
Alessia is torn about her future with him.
SANDY: She said, "Mom, I just feel bad for him.
"I really don't know what to do right now.
"I just wanna just have the baby and then, you know,
go from there."
NARRATOR: On February 17th, 2020,
Alessia gives birth to their daughter, Alaia,
nicknamed LayLay.
As her mom and being a grandmother,
I was very excited.
So I did go visit Alessia later on that evening at the hospital.
NARRATOR: Rashod comes out of hiding to visit his new daughter
at the hospital.
Rashod was there, and I congratulated him, as well.
He seemed to be very excited.
He had the baby in his hands.
He was holding her.
This is when LayLay was a baby baby,
and Rashod is holding her.
He's playing with her, and looking at her, and Alessia
is in the background, enjoying the fact that Rashod
is being a dad to the baby.
[makes indistinct noise]
I felt maybe that this could be a new start for both of them in
a positive direction.
But Rashod's behavior was just not any better.
I was scared.
NARRATOR: With the arrest warrant
of West Haven PD still looming,
Rashod goes back into hiding with Alessia and the baby.
Meanwhile, the COVID pandemic puts
an end to Alessia's job.
Alessia was a medical assistant in
a medical facility, and they were closing now,
and financially, she struggled a little bit.
So Rashod, I've never seen him
physically work a job.
I think Alessia was the big supporter of the family.
I don't recall him ever...
paying for anything.
Alessia was really stressed around that time.
She was so skinny, she was pale,
she looked so tired.
-NARRATOR: Alessia focuses all -A.
of her energy into bringing up her kids.
NARRATOR: But Rashod becomes envious.
AYALA: Rashod was jealous of Alaia.
She felt like she couldn't give Alaia too much attention,
because Rashod would have a problem with it.
Alessia is recording baby Alaia.
She's just a little bit older in this clip.
[Alessia speaking]
SANDY: I noticed that he started reciting
the poem that was in Chucky
when the guy was invoking the spirits.
[Alessia speaking]
[laughing]
[Alessia speaking]
And he starts laughing -- just weird that
a person would do that, just...
to the little baby that they have in their hand.
I was kind of...
troubled with that.
[phone beeping]
Around June, I got a text from Alessia's phone,
stating that she needed money for a tow.
Of course, I sent her the money.
NARRATOR: Liz calls Alessia to see if she's okay,
but there's no answer.
So I end up writing, I believe her mom,
and asked if Alessia was okay.
And that's when Alessia called me from her mom's Facebook and
explained that Rashod took her phone, and that he contacted
multiple people in regards to money, acting like her.
She was devastated.
I remember it was a couple of times
she ended up writing me, and she said she wanted to leave.
In July,
I remember Alessia telling me about Rashod pulling out
a gun on her.
I believe he had full control over her after that time.
She accepted things that she wouldn't normally accept.
I believe he manipulated her to the point that she felt like
this is what she deserved.
SANDY: She told me that she was feeling really sorry for Rashod.
"He's had a rough life, and I just wanna --
I just feel bad for him, and I just want to help him out."
And I said, "Well, I don't know why you feel sorry for him."
I was like, "He clearly doesn't feel sorry for you."
She said several times that he threatened her that if she was
to ever leave him, that he would come,
and he would kill her family.
She knew Rashod more than anybody did.
And I feel like she thought she had no escape.
I believe Alessia put herself in harm's way to protect everybody
that she loved.
NARRATOR: Rashod's unpredictable behavior
forces Alessia into action.
She plans to move with her kids
and live with her brother, George.
AYALA: Alessia was serious about leaving Rashod.
She wanted a new life. She wanted to start over.
She just wanted better for her children.
She's like, "I'm done with him.
I'm ready to go," and she asked me to come
pick her up, and I did.
I didn't hesitate.
I got in my car right away, and I drove to pick her up,
and I recorded my journey...
in case, God forbid, something did happen.
I think things with him were so unpredictable at that moment,
that I just didn't know what he could have done.
Nothing happened, though. She came home that day.
NARRATOR: That same weekend, Alessia meets up
with her friend, Liz.
I could just tell from her face that she was just so drained
with everything in life.
We were talking about everything positive.
We wanted to move on with our -- our summer.
We wanted to hang out more with the kids.
There was definitely a lot of hope
for Alessia around the time that she was getting
help and therapy.
SANDY: I get home from work, and she's dressed,
and she's got her hair done.
She's got a baby bag with her, and she has
the baby in the car seat -- I said to her, "Alessia,
where are you going?"
And she goes, "Oh, I'm going to Target."
I said, "Who you going to Target with?"
She goes, "I'll be back."
And I was like, "I know you're not going with
your daughter's father."
I'm like, after all the stuff that just transpired.
I pleaded with her, you know, "Please don't go," and...
She looked at me, she said, "I'll be fine,"
and she told me she loved me.
And I said, "Well, I love you," you know,
"Anything, just call me."
And that was it.
I was working in construction detail at
the intersection of Quinnipiac Avenue and Clifton Street.
While we were setting up around 9:19,
I heard 5 to 6 loud bangs.
[six gunshots blast]
In my head, I was wondering if it was fireworks
or if it was gunshots.
And I observed a male east of my location,
holding a gun, standing over a female subject on
the ground next to a vehicle.
I started radioing dispatch and informing them of the shooting.
The subject entered the car and started driving.
As I got up to the female victim,
it was apparent that she had several gunshot wounds,
including a severe head injury.
At this time, I asked medical to step it up.
-[siren wailing] -Backup was arriving for me,
also, at that time.
When I got on scene, the female was unresponsive.
Medical services told us that she was deceased.
NARRATOR: Detective Conklin takes the lead
in the investigation.
On scene in immediate proximity to Miss Mesquita's body,
there was a backpack.
There were some personal effects,
then there was also some shell casings.
The key item that drew the attention of myself
and a number of other detectives was a baby bottle.
It indicated to us that there was obviously
an infant that was in play on this scene.
NARRATOR: The vehicle has sped off -- at the scene,
detectives find the victim's ID.
CONKLIN: The victim was identified as Alessia Mesquita,
uh, young female, New Haven resident, lived actually just
a couple blocks from the scene of the crime.
It was after nine o'clock in the morning.
I just remember sitting on the couch,
and I heard
a series of gunshots.
I just had this very unsettling feeling in my stomach,
and I heard, um,
somebody banging on my door, and, um...
I asked who it was, and they said,
"It's the New Haven Police Department."
And they said, "Do you know an Alessia Mesquita?"
And I said, "Yes, that's my daughter."
I said, "Just tell me -- if that's my daughter laying in
"the street right now dead,
"you need to tell me, because her killer
"is Rashod Newton, and you need
to go out there looking for him."
Upon being told of her daughter's passing,
Miss Mesquita's mother,
Sandra, immediately named a suspect.
She knew Mr. Newton to be volatile, to be violent,
to be aggressive towards her daughter.
He said he -- he shot her -- he just shot her multiple times.
CONKLIN: Sandra informed detectives that Mr. Newton is
known to drive a gray Toyota Camry.
NARRATOR: It's the same vehicle Officer Mortali
saw drive off after the shooting.
It was at this point that we truly developed Mr. Newton
to be a suspect in this case.
Sandy also informed detectives that
the night before, Miss Mesquita left their residence to join
Mr. Newton with their young child, Alaia.
SANDY: And then I was like, "Where's the baby?"
I had to remain composed and, um,
and -- and not scream and cry, because
now I'm faced with the fact that I have
a dead daughter
and a missing grandchild.
CONKLIN: We put out a Silver Alert region-wide
so that everyone, from the general public to other
law enforcement agencies would be aware
that we're looking for this child.
It's very scary to think that on the scene of a homicide,
there was a -- a baby that's now unaccounted for.
NARRATOR: Word of Alessia's murder spreads through the community.
I got a notification from Alessia's sister,
and it was a voice message.
Aliya was screaming from the top of her lungs
that Rashod killed her.
It was traumatizing.
I don't think I could ever, like, get that image out.
Well, that sound out of my head.
I got the call from Alessia's brother
at work, and it was just a very emotional roller coaster for
that day -- from there on, I went to go get my son.
I was just like, "Well, you know, your mother's in
"a better place now, and you know that she loves you
"and that I'm gonna be there for you,
and you're gonna be safe with me."
So we had a little moment with each other.
[siren wails]
NARRATOR: The police launch a manhunt for Rashod
and missing baby, Alaia.
And we located residents that had
a camera that was pointed in the direction of where
the crime had committed.
Luckily, they agreed to allow us to view that footage.
We saw exactly what had unfolded at that time.
We saw a vehicle pull up to
the intersection and come to a stop -- at that time,
a female gets out of the front passenger seat
and immediately proceeds towards the right rear passenger door.
The vehicle takes off.
The female runs towards the car and begins to scream.
As the female gets closer to
the car, the driver's side door opens.
A male exits the car and fires approximately
six shots.
[six gunshots blast]
The female is seen falling to the ground.
The male then gets back into the driver's seat
and disappears off camera.
We were able to share a description of the suspect,
a description of the vehicle in which he was
traveling, and that was also placed out to surrounding towns.
As the canvass for the vehicle expanded,
Sergeant Gary Hamil came across it parked in
a residential driveway at approximately 10:30, roughly
an hour after the incident, not a very far distance from
the scene of the crime.
Officers conducted a search of the vehicle through
the outside windows, and it was determined that there was
a baby seat located inside the car.
However, no child was located with the vehicle.
NARRATOR: Detectives track down another resident's
security camera near the suspect's vehicle.
Upon the review of
the security footage, we see at approximately 9:22 a.m.,
the Toyota Camry is parked at the residence on Russell Street,
minutes after the actual homicide.
We continue to watch the footage, and it depicts
a black male with short hair wearing
a black and purple jacket, blue jeans, exit that vehicle.
NARRATOR: The individual's appearance matches
the male caught on camera shooting Alessia.
That same individual then acquires
a young infant child from the back of
the vehicle and then proceeds on foot with
the child down Russell Street to Clifton Street towards
Eastern Street.
CORDERO: This person just executed a young female
broad daylight in the middle of the street,
and so there's a thousand questions that
run through your mind when you think about
the safety of that child.
NARRATOR: Detective Cordero and his partner
patrol Eastern Street, the direction in which
the suspect was seen fleeing on camera.
I was parked, and in the distance,
I could see that there was a group of people
leaving a residence.
The people appeared to be holding a small child
under a blanket.
Everything had unraveled so quickly.
Why are these people running out to a car
parked across the street?
As we approached, we drew out our firearms.
NARRATOR: The passengers admit
they're related to Rashod Newton.
Ultimately, that family ended up confirming that it was the child
we were looking for.
The relief that the child was found was just
absolutely overwhelming.
NARRATOR: After further questions, the family are not charged
and are free to go.
Officers discover Rashod is wanted by
a neighboring police force for shooting Alessia's
roommate over a year ago.
They turn their attention to locating him
and set up a perimeter around the residence.
CORDERO: You don't know what this person is capable of.
You have to expect the worst.
While I was in the back of the residence, I could hear
a loud commotion going on in the front, and we were
informed that a female had placed what
appeared to be a hat with a firearm in it on
the ground and was yelling that, um,
the suspect was inside and not to harm him.
One of the officers on scene then
started to hail the suspect out of
the apartment over his police vehicle's PA system.
Shortly after, my partner, uh, yells to me from
the back that the suspect's coming out of
the rear of the residence.
I immediately run over to assist him.
He was put in handcuffs, he was removed from
the scene and placed in a law enforcement vehicle,
and transferred back to the police department.
There's no greater feeling than to feel that you not only been
able to recover a child but to get
a suspect who you saw commit a heinous crime.
It's satisfying, it's gratifying.
But ultimately, at the end of the day,
a young woman lost her life, and a child lost their mother.
NARRATOR: At the police station,
Detective Conklin interviews Rashod Newton.
Mr. Newton was acting very downtrodden,
very somber at this point.
Over the course of the interview,
Mr. Newton provided a full confession
in regards to the homicide of Miss Mesquita.
CONKLIN: What we were able to piece together
about that morning was that
they woke up at an area hotel
and then drove into New Haven.
As they were driving in New Haven,
Miss Mesquita and Mr. Newton got into a verbal argument in
the car -- they were fighting inside the car.
It elevated to the point where Miss Mesquita
wanted to exit the car -- she told Mr. Newton to stop.
He did.
She goes to get out of the car, she collects her belongings,
her backpack, her Target bags,
and like any good mother,
she went to go retrieve her child from the back of the car.
As she exited the vehicle,
Mr. Newton pulled off abruptly, causing Miss Mesquita to yell,
to scream for her child.
He then stopped -- at that point, he exited the vehicle,
he snapped, and that's when he started to shoot at her.
[two gunshots blast]
Mr. Newton was charged with murder,
criminal possession of a firearm,
and risk of injury to a minor.
NARRATOR: On March 25th, 2021, family and friends gather
to commemorate Alessia's life.
SANDY: Unfortunately, when Alessia passed away,
she didn't have any life insurance, so, um,
I was faced with, oh, my God, you know, how am I gonna
bury my daughter, and the community
actually all got together, and they made a GoFundMe page.
She made an impact in so many people's lives that,
you know, people came out of nowhere.
The support was overwhelming.
It was very touching and just very emotional.
It was just an emotional roller coaster.
We got there.
We sat down, and, um, my son couldn't even look.
He was just so hurt.
AYALA: It was like Snow White -- she had a, like,
a horse and carriage that took her to the cemetery.
And I just thought it was so beautiful.
She went out like a princess, like a queen, actually.
On December 1st, 2022, Mr. Newton pled guilty to
the murder of Miss Mesquita.
NARRATOR: He also pleads guilty to the first-degree assault of
Alessia's roommate at their apartment in West Haven
in 2020.
On January 26th, 2023,
Rashod Newton is sentenced to 35 years in prison.
I've personally been investigating homicides for
a number of years at this point.
This, in my opinion, is one of the most evil homicides
I've seen to date.
He took a great friend,
a beautiful daughter, a beautiful mother.
-Hey. Ooh! -[Joe laughs]
SANDY: March 22nd, 2021,
I lost my daughter,
and I became a mother all over again, because
I have custody of Alaia, and I've been raising her
ever since,
and that's gonna be a tough one when she gets older
and wants to know where her mother is.
My message to anyone who has a relative, a friend, family,
anyone who's experiencing domestic violence,
the red flags are there for a reason.
Just educate yourself
on the proper ways
to get out of an abusive relationship,
because there are ways to do it.
And don't be afraid.