On the early morning of Thursday, July 21, 2022, 18-year-old William Beltran was shot and killed outside a deli on Willow Street in Waterbury, Connecticut. Police and first responders arrived after reports of gunfire; Beltran was found with gunshot wounds and was pronounced dead at the scene about 15 minutes after the initial call. The shooting took place at a location that had seen another homicide a couple of months earlier.

Waterbury Police Major Crimes Detectives identified 25-year-old Frankie Dejesus of Waterbury as a suspect and arrested him on Union Street on July 25, 2022. Officers found Dejesus in possession of crack cocaine and drug paraphernalia at the time, producing additional narcotics charges; he was also a previously convicted felon and therefore prohibited from possessing a firearm.

Dejesus was charged with murder, criminal possession of a firearm, criminal use of a firearm, and first-degree reckless endangerment. The prosecution’s case included witness testimony, scientific evidence, and cell phone data presented at trial in New Haven Superior Court. Did anyone who knew William or who was in the Willow Street area that night see or hear anything that could help clarify what happened?