New Haven man Rashod Newton, who was convicted of killing the mother of his child in a 2021 shooting, was sentenced to 35 years in prison Thursday, according to state officials.
New Haven Police DepartmentNEW HAVEN — A man convicted of killing the mother of his child in a 2021 shooting was sentenced to 35 years in prison Thursday, according to the state Division of Criminal Justice.
Rashod Newton, then 29, of New Haven, pleaded guilty to murder in connection with Alessia Mesquita’s death and first-degree assault in connection with an unrelated 2020 West Haven shooting in state Superior Court in New Haven on Dec. 1, state officials earlier said. Mesquita, 28, died in the presence of the baby she shared with Newton.
Police and family said Newton and Mesquita were in a relationship and had a 1-year-old daughter at the time of the shooting. On the morning of March 22, 2021, Newton told investigators, they became involved in an argument, according to police. Snapping, Newton allegedly admitted, he shot Mesquita approximately four times around 9:20 a.m. outside a parked car as a child, identified by police as their daughter, sat in the back seat.
Following the shooting, Newton fled with the child, according to police. He was eventually apprehended on Eastern Street and arrested on an outstanding warrant charging him with first-degree assault, police said. The child was transported to the hospital as a precaution.
The Mesquita case was prosecuted by Supervisory Assistant State’s Attorney Stacey M. Miranda with assistance from Inspector Alfonso Vazquez, according to state officials.
“State’s Attorney Doyle wishes to express his sincere condolences to the family of Mesquita and extend his gratitude to the New Haven Police Department for their thorough investigative efforts in this case,” officials said in a statement.
Newton was sentenced by Judge Gerald L. Harmon.
caroline.tien@hearst.com