More than a decade after a bathroom shooting inside a crowded Lawrence restaurant left a 21-year-old father dead, the man authorities say pulled the trigger has finally been caught. Yssael Lantigua Alecon, now 45, was arrested in Hazleton, Pennsylvania, following a manhunt that stretched back to May 1, 2015, and now faces an extradition hearing before he can be returned to Massachusetts to face murder charges.
The case dates back to a shooting at Bali's Bar and Restaurant in Lawrence that killed Joselo “Jose” Campusano, according to NBC Boston. Campusano, a Lawrence resident and father to a young daughter, was identified as the victim by relatives who spoke with reporters at the scene, according to CBS News.
An Essex County District Attorney statement reported by Boston 25 News described the moments before the gunfire: the suspect and Campusano had reportedly been seen chatting and having drinks together inside the packed restaurant before the suspect followed him into the restroom, where three shots were fired. The venue was filled with patrons at the time.
Caught on Camera, Then Gone
Restaurant surveillance footage captured the man later identified as Lantigua Alecon running out of the building alongside fleeing customers immediately after the shots rang out, per the same account from Boston 25 News. A responding officer spotted him later that night speeding away in his sister's SUV, and authorities issued a murder warrant after tracking the getaway vehicle.
What followed was more than ten years of evasion. Official records from the Massachusetts State Police show Lantigua Alecon, who lived in Methuen at the time of the shooting, used at least six aliases while on the run, including William Perez, William Perez Rodriguez, Issael Alercon, David Caceres, Ismael Lantigua, and Issael Alturo Alercon Lantigua. Investigators noted he had a history of obtaining fraudulent government identification.
Named a Most Wanted Fugitive
Six months after the killing, in November 2015, the Massachusetts State Police Violent Fugitive Apprehension Section added Lantigua Alecon to its Most Wanted Fugitives list, a designation that triggers statewide public tip campaigns, as reported by CBS News. The move underscored how high a priority state police placed on tracking him down.
The restaurant itself did not escape scrutiny either. A Massachusetts Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission regulatory document shows Bali's Restaurant voluntarily closed for several days following the shooting and later agreed at a municipal hearing to install metal-detector wands for patrons entering after 11 p.m., as local officials pushed for tighter security at downtown Lawrence nightlife venues.
A Decade-Long Search Ends in Hazleton
Lantigua Alecon was ultimately tracked to Hazleton, a city near Scranton, Pennsylvania, where he was arrested and held pending extradition proceedings, according to NBC Boston's report. His apprehension relied on a joint operation between the U.S. Marshals Service Violent Fugitive Task Force covering the Districts of Massachusetts and Middle District of Pennsylvania, the Massachusetts State Police Violent Fugitive Apprehension Section, and the Hazleton Police Department.
Dennis Matulewicz, head of the U.S. Marshals Service for the District of Massachusetts, said the arrest will finally bring Lantigua Alecon before the courts to face justice, noting he had remained a fugitive wanted for murder for more than a decade. Matulewicz added that the U.S. Marshals Service and its law enforcement partners will continue pursuing people accused of violent crimes.
Before Lantigua Alecon can be returned to Massachusetts for trial, state law governing interstate rendition requires either a formal waiver of extradition during Pennsylvania court proceedings or the issuance of a governor's warrant. It remains unclear which path his case will take, or whether he will contest the transfer.
Part of a Broader Push on Cold Cases
The homicide investigation was originally launched under former Essex County District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett in 2015, but formal prosecution now falls to District Attorney Paul F. Tucker, whose office assumed leadership in 2023 and oversees cold-case homicide prosecutions in Essex County. Tucker's office has recently pursued a string of aged Lawrence homicide cases, including the September 2025 extradition of a suspect from the Dominican Republic for a 2022 shooting and the December 2024 indictment of a suspect in a 2017 murder, reflecting a broader effort to resolve long-unsolved killings in the city.
It remains unknown exactly what tip or surveillance breakthrough led the U.S. Marshals to Hazleton after so many years, and whether Lantigua Alecon will face additional charges tied to his use of fraudulent identities while on the run. Those questions are likely to surface as the extradition process moves forward.
