Son and His Mom Charged in Cold Case Killing of Dad, Aunt After Decades-Old Confession Surfaces

A mother and her grown son, who live in Florida, are accused of murdering her husband and sister 25 years ago in New Jersey.

Dolores Mejia Connors Morgan, 66, and her son Ted Connors, 47, both of Del Ray Beach, Florida, have been charged with two separate counts of first-degree murder in connection with the deaths of Ana Mejia and Nicholas Connors, the Monmouth County, New Jersey, Prosecutor’s Office announced in a news release.

On Dec. 8, 1994, Mejia, then 24, was found dead and partially clothed inside her apartment. The mom-of-two had been stabbed multiple times and had a “white powdery substance rubbed on her face when she was found,” the news release states.

Six months later, on May 14, 1995, Long Branch police officers found Nicholas Connors, 51, dead on a sofa in his home. He had been shot multiple times in the head.

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New evidence uncovered by detectives, including a 1995 recorded confession by Connors, led to the pair’s recent arrest, according to an arrest affidavit obtained by NJ.com.

A third person, Jose R. Carrero, 48, of Jackson Township, was also charged with the murders and on Jan. 10 pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree conspiracy to commit murder, according to a separate prosecutor’s office news release.

“Carrero admitted he conspired with [Connors] and [Morgan] to kill Mejia in retaliation for what they believed were her actions to tip off law enforcement officers about the illegal activities of her boyfriend,” the news release sates.

Initially, investigators believed the white substance on Mejia’s face was cocaine but it turned out to be baby formula, according to the affidavit, NJ.com reports.

“Carrero also admitted to conspiring with Ted Connors and Connors’ mother, Delores Morgan [then known as Delores Connors] to kill Nicholas Connors,” the news release states. “Nicholas Connors was the adopted father of Ted and then-husband of Delores, who was killed in a successful effort to collect on a life insurance policy.”

As part of his plea agreement, Carrero will testify against the mother and son.

Morgan and Ted Connors remain held without bond in the Monmouth County Correctional Institution. It is unclear whether they have attorneys or have entered pleas.