Suspect arrested in Puerto Rico in connection with Holyoke homicide

HOLYOKE, MA (WGGB/WSHM) – A suspect is under arrest after a homicide this summer in Holyoke.

Jim Leydon, spokesperson for the Hampden District Attorney’s Office, said that 22-year-old Aleq Rodriguez of Holyoke was arrested Thursday by U.S. Marshals in Puerto Rico on a murder charge.

On the morning of June 22, Holyoke Police received a call about a shooting victim on the 300 block of Appleton Street. Officers arrived and found 30-year-old Edgar Soto-Irizarry of Holyoke suffering from gunshot wounds. Soto-Irizarry was pronounced dead at the scene.

Leydon explained that the investigation led authorities to develop probable cause, which led to the warrant against Rodriguez. Investigators also learned that Rodriguez flew to Puerto Rico in the days after the incident and soon thereafter, local and state officials began working with authorities in Puerto Rico, which led to Rodriguez’s arrest.

Rodriguez will be arraigned once he is extradited back to Massachusetts.

The case remains under investigation by Holyoke Police, State Police detectives assigned to the D.A.’s office, and the D.A.’s murder unit.

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