Authorities say a Holyoke man now charged in the May killing of an Easthampton Uber driver has a criminal record that stretches back nearly two decades. Melquiades "Body" Cabrera, 36, and Melissa "Mel" Rosado, 39, were identified by investigators in the May 6 shooting that left 43-year-old Caleb Rodriguez dead. Rodriguez was shot while sitting inside his vehicle in the Suffolk Street area, and police and prosecutors say the episode may have started as an attempted robbery.
Investigators responded to a ShotSpotter activation around 9:26 p.m. on May 6 and found Rodriguez inside a car near 99 Suffolk Street. He was taken to Baystate Medical Center and later died, according to The Boston Globe. Police say the preliminary investigation points to an altercation involving multiple people before the shooting. Authorities have not publicly detailed a motive beyond the district attorney's statement that evidence points to an attempted robbery.
State police detectives and the Hampden County District Attorney's murder unit say they identified and arrested Cabrera and Rosado in the days after the shooting. Both were arraigned in Holyoke District Court and are being held without the right to bail, Western Mass News reports. Officials say the suspects were located after canvassing surveillance footage and tracking a phone number tied to the pair, and they were detained without incident. Pretrial conferences for both defendants were scheduled for early June.
Past Charges And Recorded Evidence
Court records and reporting show Cabrera was indicted in 2008 and 2009 in connection with a 2007 killing, but prosecutors later dropped those murder charges in January 2010. He later pleaded guilty in October 2018 to a string of armed robberies tied to incidents in 2017 and was sentenced to seven to nine years followed by three years of probation, according to MassLive.
MassLive also reports that police recovered dashcam video and audio recordings that captured parts of the May 6 confrontation, including threats and gunfire, and that surveillance video and a phone number helped investigators identify the suspects.
Community Response And Fundraising
Rodriguez, a 43-year-old father of four from Easthampton who worked as an Uber driver, has become the focus of a wave of community support. Easthampton High School organized a 24-hour run in his honor, and a GoFundMe set up for the family had raised nearly $23,000 by late May, the Daily Hampshire Gazette reports. Family members and teammates described Rodriguez as a devoted dad who coached and supported his children. Organizers say most of the donations are intended to help his four children with immediate needs.
Court Calendar And Next Steps
Both defendants remain in custody without the right to bail as prosecutors continue reviewing evidence and deciding whether to seek indictments, according to the Hampden County District Attorney's office. The Hampden County District Attorney's office and the Holyoke Police Department are handling the investigation, and anyone with information is asked to contact the DA's office at the Hampden DA website or reach out to Holyoke police. Defense attorneys for Cabrera and Rosado had not filed public statements as of early June.
As the case moves through the courts, prosecutors say they will lean on surveillance footage and recorded evidence in building their file, and judges will decide whether the matter proceeds to a jury trial. This story will be updated as new court dates, filings, or official statements become public.
