Jackson Man Pleads Guilty To Long Branch Cold-Case Murders

LONG BRANCH, NJ — One of the three defendants of two Long Branch murders in the 1990s admitted Friday to the killings. Jose R. Carrero said he conspired with his two co-defendants in the murders of Ana Mejia and Nicholas Connors.

The killings of Mejia and Connors both went unsolved for about 25 years. The Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office announced Jan. 10 that Carrero, Dolores Morgan and Ted Connors were charged with the killings.

Carrero must provide truthful testimony in any trials for his co-defendants as part of the plea agreement. Prosecutors will recommend five to 10 years of prison for Carrero for each of his two counts of second-degree conspiracy to commit murder.

Mejia was found dead and partially clothed Dec. 8, 1994, inside a bedroom of the Prospect Street apartment she shared with her boyfriend and two young children. She was stabbed multiple times and had a white, powdery substance rubbed on her face when her remains were found, according to the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office.

Mejia was killed in retaliation for what they believed were her actions to tip off police about her boyfriend's illegal activities, Carrero said in court.

Long Branch police found Nicholas Connors dead May 14, 1995, at his Van Dyke Place home. He was on the sofa with multiple gunshot wounds to the head, the MCPO said.

Nicholas Connors was the adopted father of Ted and then-husband of Dolores, who was then named Delores Connors. He was killed in a successful effort to collect on a life-insurance policy, the MCPO said.

Morgan offered to pay Carrero and her son $2,000 to $3,000 to kill Mejia — her daughter and Ted Connors's sister, according to the Asbury Park Press. Morgan wanted her daughter killed because the mother and son were selling drugs, and she believed Mejia already cooperated with police in the arrest of Mejia's boyfriend, Carrero said in court.

Her boyfriend had been caught with several pounds of cocaine. Carrero said Morgan feared Mejia would turn them in too, according to the Asbury Park Press.

All three defendants have been detained in the Monmouth County Correctional Institution. Morgan and Ted Connors are awaiting trial for first-degree murder.

Confessions helped authorities piece together the cold-case murders. Ted Connors and Carrero independently confessed to mutual friends that they murdered Mejia and Nicholas Connors, according to the affidavits.

The friends made statements to authorities in 1995 and 1996, which led to implicating the three suspects, the documents say. Read more: 2 Allegedly Confessed To Long Branch Cold-Case Murders To Friends