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More than a year after his cousin was killed, Marvin Morales and his family finally have the beginnings of a sense of closure -- Norwalk Police have arrested two men they say are responsible for the death.
"I thought [the arrests were] going to take longer," Morales said. "So I think [the police] are doing a great job. I want to say thanks to the police, the Norwalk Police, too, for that. It's a great, great job. They've been working hard on that."
Alain Leconte, 22, and Mustafa Jacobs, 24, both formerly of Stamford, will be arraigned Thursday in Norwalk Superior Court on charges of felony murder and first-degree robbery in the death of Jose Morales, 33, on Oct. 10, 2009, during a robbery of the Miracle Shell gas station on West Avenue.
Morales said that he and his family are pleased the men are off the streets.
"Obviously, they're going to be locked up," said Morales, who speaks limited English. "We hope for life. The damage that they did is something that's not going to be repaired. Damage is damage, you know, it's dead. We hope they're to be a long time in there so they can't hurt anyone else."
Though Jose was single, he did have a large family, so large that Morales had to stop when asked how many relatives there were. "Let me think," he said, and paused, with a smile.
Most are in Guatemala, including Jose's four sisters. The family has been keeping track of the case through Attorney Ingemar Heredia.
"We have always been in contact with the Norwalk Police Department," said Heredia. "Sometimes, obviously, they weren't able to give us as much information as I'm sure they did have. But [the family] never lost hope in it, and they were confident they were going to resolve the issues and solve the case."
Leconte and Jacobs are currently in jail on drug charges. Morales had no idea that police had suspects in custody. He plans to be in court Thursday to see the arraignment and expects Jose's brother to come, too. Heredia said he expects family members to follow the case closely.
"I explained to them it's going to take some time. But they'll be there every day and every time there's a court proceeding they'll be there."
Morales said everyone loved his cousin Jose. "He was a special," he said. "Sometimes he was funny. He likes to do jokes. He was always happy, he tried to do big laugh, everybody. Maybe that's why he had a lot of friends. He was a good guy, always laughing."
Heredia said the arrests were "bittersweet" for the family.
"They've been devastated obviously from day one," said Heredia. "I don't think they'll ever understand exactly why it happened, but at least with these new arrests they can move forward a little bit. It won't be complete before justice is served, but they do move closer to the closure that they need."
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