Alexander Pedraza.
“Pucho” owed fellow dealer Alexander Pedraza $1,000 for drugs. He shot Pedraza to death rather than pay up.
That version of a Jan. 18 Fair Haven murder is told in a newly released arrest warrant affidavit.
The affidavit, written by Detective Kyle Malloy, details the investigation that led to the arrest of Pucho, who’s 50, for allegedly shooting 40-year-old Pedraza to death. Police announced that arrest alongside Pedraza’s survivors at a press conference Monday.
Police Chief Karl Jacobson called the killing a reminder of the toll hard drugs continue to take on New Haven.
“We keep thinking drugs aren’t a big deal,” Jacobson said. “People are still dying over drugs. They’re overdosing in record numbers. And they’re shooting each other.”
Detective Malloy’s affidavit details how police pieced together their case from surveillance video footage, DNA, telephone records, and interviews of people connected to the incident, including an eyewitness. Here’s the resulting version of the story:
Pedraza called a friend nicknamed “Papa” on Jan. 18 to report that he was looking to track down Pucho to “have a ‘fair one’” over the $1,000 in owed drug money. Papa agreed to serve as backup.
They found Pucho on River Street. Pedraza started fighting Pucho, and getting the better of him.
“OK! OK! I’ll get you the money!” Pucho, on the ground, called after “three to five minutes.” Then, at 8:16 p.m., Pucho allegedly fired a gun twice at Pedraza, striking him in the lower back and left wrist. He died at the hospital later that evening as a result of injuries from those shots.
Police arrested Pucho, who has previous weapons and drug-related felony convictions, on the murder charge as well as illegal gun possession charges on April 12. He is being held on $2 million bond. He has not yet entered a plea.
Nora Grace-Flood Photo
Chief Jacobson and Mayor Justin Elicker with Pedraza's father and partner at Monday's press conference.
My condolences to the loved ones of the deceased.
Because yes, even drug dealers have people who love them and people they love.
We need to eliminate the illegal drug trade market and the violence and crime that accompany it.
We need to create a national living wage skilled trades jobs training programs to help people who don’t graduate high school or college to get skilled trades training and job placement.
We need to bring back manufacturing jobs to America and avoid supply chain disruptions and start making the things we need again instead of shipping from other countries.
We need to invest in climate change mitigation and green energy jobs.
We need to repair and replace infrastructure that is degrading like bridges, highways, parks, public affordable housing, and other important projects that have been neglected and underfunded and under maintained since they were built in the 1950’s and earlier.
We especially need to provide alternatives for those with reading and math disabilities and attention deficit hyperactivity disorders to gain successful living wage careers.
The prisons and jails in this country have extremely high levels of people who can not read higher than a fourth grade reading level.
We need to overhaul and standardize educational standards on a national level to ensure that every student in America gets an equitable and quality education and is employable upon graduation.
Other countries especially in Europe and parts of Asia understand that their economy and their country depend on quality education and gainful living wage employment and universal healthcare and affordable housing and childcare, elder care and disability care and other social support services to make their society healthier, happier and more stable.