Murder Suspect Captured in Vernon Motel

A murder suspect who has been on the run from authorities since a December homicide in Hartford was captured Friday night at a Vernon motel.

Zachary Alexander, 26, was charged with murder, criminal possession of a firearm and sale of narcotics. He is being held on a $1 million court-set bond, and was scheduled to be arraigned Monday in Hartford Superior Court.

Alexander is charged in connection with the shooting death of Edison Burge on Griswold Street in the late afternoon hours of Dec. 12, 2015.

In a written statement, Deputy Chief Brian Foley said Major Crimes detectives interviewed several witnesses early in the investigation, identifying Alexander as a suspect early on. They developed enough probable cause to submit an arrest warrant to a Judge of the Hartford Superior Court on Dec. 17, 2015.

Alexander could not be located after numerous attempts by police, but on Friday, Detective Zach Sherry and Deputy United States Marshal Kevin Perreault developed information that he was possibly staying at the Days Inn Motel at 451 Hartford Turnpike in Vernon, Foley wrote.

Around 9 p.m., members of the HPD/US Marshals Violent Fugitive Task Force, the Hartford Shooting Task Force, the Hartford Police Special Operations Group and the Vernon Police Department responded to the Days Inn. Alexander was located and taken into custody after a brief struggle and attempt to escape out of the hotel room window.

Photos courtesy of Hartford Police Department