Bristol County DA: Connecticut man charged in Fall River murder

A 22-year-old Willimantic, CT. man was charged today with Murder in connection to the December 23, 2023, shooting death of Juan Manuel Batista Castro in Fall River, Bristol County District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn III announced.

Investigators today filed an arrest warrant charging Angel Fabian Robles-Nicasio with Murder, Carrying an Illegal Firearm, and Conspiracy to Traffic Cocaine.

The multi-state investigation has been overseen by Homicide Unit Prosecutors Russ Eonas and Daniel Walsh and was conducted by the Massachusetts State Police detectives assigned to DA Quinn’s Office, Fall River Police detectives and members of the Willimantic Police Department in Connecticut.

Robles-Nicasio was arrested along with 11 other individuals on Tuesday in Connecticut as a result of a long-term investigation by Willimantic Police into a pattern of racketeering and gang activity. He was charged with Corrupt Organization and Racketeering Act and was ordered held on $75,000 bail.

Now that a charge of Murder has been filed against Robles-Nicasio, he cannot be released from custody even if he posted his Connecticut bail. He will be arraigned as a Fugitive from Justice in Connecticut in the coming days. If he waives rendition at that arraignment, he would likely be returned soon to Massachusetts for arraigned in Fall River District Court on the Murder and firearm charges. If he refuses to waive rendition, the process for having him returned to Massachusetts to face our charges would take longer.

At around 5:18 p.m. on December 23, 2023, Fall River Police responded to 911 calls regarding a male shot at 326 Bank Street.

When first responders arrived on scene, they located the 44-year-old victim on the porch suffering from a gunshot wound. He was determined by responding EMS personnel to have no viable signs of life and was pronounced deceased at the scene.

Today’s announcement means the Bristol County District Attorney’s Office, with the assistance of state and local police departments from across the county, has solved all 13 homicides that occurred in Bristol County in 2023. Additionally, since DA Quinn became district attorney in January of 2015, his office has solved 98% of the homicides committed in the county, a rate that far exceeds the 54% national average.

And, in Fall River, thanks to the cooperative efforts of prosecutors, state police detectives and Fall River Police officials, every homicide that has occurred during the last decade has now been solved.

“I want to thank Fall River Police, the Massachusetts State Police detectives from my office and Willimantic Police for their cooperative efforts in this case. This is a great example of multiple agencies working together on a very serious investigation to solve a senseless homicide,” District Attorney Quinn said.