Teen charged with murder after Charlotte assault victim dies of injuries, police say
A 48-year-old man died days after being assaulted last weekend in east Charlotte, and the teenager accused in the attack now faces a murder charge, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police said Thursday.
Officers learned Santos Maldonado had been assaulted near the 5700 block of East W.T. Harris Boulevard shortly after 6:50 p.m. Saturday, according to a CMPD news release. Maldonado was taken to a hospital with “visible injuries.”
Investigators identified 19-year-old Edis Serrano-Perez as a suspect and determined he punched Maldonado twice and kicked him in the head. Police found Serrano-Perez after obtaining an arrest warrant for assault inflicting serious injury, CMPD said.
Maldonado died Monday, and a murder warrant was issued for Serrano-Perez, police said.
Serrano-Perez and his mother coordinated his surrender with police, and he turned himself in at CMPD headquarters on Wednesday. He is in the custody of the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office, charged with murder.
There have been 18 homicides in 2022, CMPD data show. At this time last year, Charlotte had seen 15 homicides.
Anyone with information about this incident can call 704-432-TIPS and speak directly to a homicide detective. The public can also leave information anonymously by contacting Crime Stoppers at 704-334-1600 or charlottecrimestoppers.com.
This story was originally published March 24, 2022 at 4:49 PM.
