American Monster: Where is Rashod Newton now?

Rashod Newton, a New Haven resident, was arrested on charges of murder and risk of injury to a minor as he shot his girlfriend and mother of two, Alessia Mesquita, to death on March 22, 2021. Rashod Akeem Newton had been seeing Alessia, and the two had a daughter. However, Alessia's family and friends reported that she had been a victim of domestic violence before.

Newton and Mesquita had been involved in an argument in the car with their daughter, Alaia, in the backseat when he shot Alessia four times and left her on the street. He drove away with her car with Alaia in it and was later found on Eastern Street by officials from the New Haven Police Department. He has been sentenced to 35 years in prison and is presently incarcerated at the MacDougall-Walker Correctional Institution.

The American Monster episode Angels and Demons showcases Alessia Mesquita's murder, as the synopsis reads,

"When Alessia Mesquita reconnects with her childhood crush, Rashod Newton, the couple fall desperately in love; when the romance becomes overshadowed by Rashod's behavior, Alessia has to make a decision that will have deadly consequences."

The episode aired on January 28, 2024, at 9 p.m. EST on Investigation Discovery.

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Why was Rashod Newton arrested?

The New Haven Police Department had found the body of the 28-year-old mother of two, Alessia Mesquita, in the Fair Haven Heights neighborhood in the area of Clifton and Lenox streets. She was shot to death in broad daylight around 9:19 a.m. and left on the streets.

The officials took no time to track the incident to her live-in partner, Rashod Newton, who was subsequently found on Eastern Street. Rashod and Alessia were reportedly arguing in the car with Alaia in the backseat, as per the police reports to the New Haven Independent.

As officials looked into the surveillance cameras in the area, they noted Alessia stepping out of the car and Newton taking off with Alaia inside it. This prompted Mesquita to run after the vehicle when Newton stepped out and shot her down.

Rashod Newton then took off with the car with the 1-year-old inside but was swiftly apprehended on Eastern Street, per the New Haven Register. The child was found unharmed. Newton (27) was arrested on charges of murder, risk of injury to a child, and criminal possession of a firearm. He was held at a $250,000 bond and $3 million bail until his hearing.

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Where is Rashod Newton now?

As investigations into Alessia Mesquita's murder progressed, Rashod Newton was found to have a previous rap sheet carrying narcotics charges with a five-year sentence in 2012.

Per The Cinemaholic, he was sentenced to 22 additional months as he pled guilty to a felony charge of carrying a pistol without a permit. Another charge came in 2016 as he pled guilty to third-degree assault and was sentenced to a year in prison. In the same year, Newton also received a six-year sentence owing to narcotics charges but was suspended after 15 months.

Rashod pleaded guilty to charges of the murder of Alessia Mesquita, risk of injury to a minor, and criminal possession of a firearm in December 2022. He was sentenced to 35 years in prison on January 26, 2023. Rashod Newton presently remains incarcerated at the MacDougall-Walker Correctional Institution.