Mother, Son Indicted For Long Branch Cold-Case Murders

LONG BRANCH, NJ — Two defendants were indicted for the Long Branch cold-case murders of Ana Mejia and Nicholas Connors. Their codefendant, Jose R. Carrero, pleaded guilty to the killings last week.

Dolores Morgan and her son, Ted Connors, were each charged with two separate counts of first-degree murders. Mejia and Nicholas Connors were found dead in 1994 and 1995, respectively. The cases remained open until the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office announced charges Jan. 10 against Morgan, Connors and Carrero.

Nicholas Connors was Dolores's husband and Ted's adoptive father. He was killed in a successful effort to collect on a life-insurance policy, the MCPO said.

Morgan and Connors face life in prison without parole if convicted. If Carrero provides truthful testimony in their trials, prosecutors will recommend he serve five to 10 years in prison for each of his two counts of second-degree conspiracy to commit murder. Read more: Jackson Man Pleads Guilty To Long Branch Cold-Case Murders

Mejia, 24, 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.

Police found Nicholas Connors, 51, dead at his Van Dyke Place home on May 14, 1995. Authorities found him on the sofa with multiple gunshot wounds to the head.

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