Hartford Man Found Guilty In 2012 Murder: Feds

HARTFORD, CT — A Hartford man who has spent years behind bars for various offenses will likely stay in prison for life after he was found guilty of murder in federal court Wednesday.

David X. Sullivan, U.S. attorney for Connecticut, said a federal jury in New Haven Wednesday found Meluan Scott, 34, also known as “Mel,” “Young God,” “Young,” and “YG,” guilty of the drug-related murder of Serafin Velez, 27, in Hartford on Feb. 16, 2012.

According to the evidence introduced during the trial, the murder was in retaliation for a failed marijuana transaction that cost Scott and others tens of thousands of dollars.

Sullivan said Velez and an associate had brokered the marijuana deal with individuals in New York.

After receiving the cash, the New York individuals gave Scott and his associates fake marijuana, federal authorities said.

After the failed transaction, Scott forced Velez into a vehicle and ultimately drove him to Waverly Street, where Scott and an associate shot and killed Velez, according to officials.

The jury found Scott guilty of kidnapping resulting in Velez’s death, and of causing the death of Velez through the use of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, Sullivan said.

At sentencing, which is not scheduled, Scott faces a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment.

Scott, formerly of Hartford, has been detained in federal custody since April 2014 and recently completed a 13-year federal sentence for another offense.

For more information on the case, click on this link.