Adam Mercado is accused of killing three men during a violent spree that stretched from Monroe to Charlotte. Police said he randomly targeted two victims in a Monroe apartment before allegedly killing a third man in a Charlotte warehouse.
He is accused of robbing and killing Matthew Moody and James Wallace in a Monroe home then stealing one of the victim’s cars and driving to north Charlotte.
Mercado is also suspect of robbing and killing Thomas Barnes inside a warehouse on Central Avenue.
Authorities in Anson County later arrested the suspect who was taken to Mecklenburg County.
The Monroe double-homicide was a random act of violence, police said.
The suspect was going around the apartments on Nelda Drive in Monroe knocking on people’s doors.
Moody and Wallace let Mercado inside their apartment for a cigarette. That was when Mercado allegedly killed them.
Barnes was known to buy properties like the one off Central Avenue to help revitalize Charlotte, his wife told Channel 9.
He was a very intuitive smart man, and he believed in keeping the city up and renovating instead of just tearing stuff down,” Barnes wife said.
Mercado was on parole at the time of the homicides. He is in the Mecklenburg County jail under no bond.
His first appearance was on Monday.
He has a court date next month in Union County.
Check back with wsoctv.com and watch Eyewitness News for updates.
VIDEO: Suspect tied to 3 homicides in Charlotte, Monroe
©2025 Cox Media Group
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/LH3JSJEF3VBLRJLJQESEAG34AM.png)
