Hartford Man Found Guilty In The 2012 Shooting Death Of Drug Dealer
Sunday, June 1, 2025, 10:30 A.M. ET. 2 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,
NEW HAVEN, CT.- A 34-year-old former Hartford, Connecticut, man is facing life in federal prison after being convicted on Wednesday for the February 16, 2012, drug-related shooting death of a 27-year-old man who was responsible for him ripped off by New York dealers during a failed drug transaction.
On Wednesday, May 28, 2025, following a trial in Federal Court in New Haven, Connecticut, a jury found Melkuan Scott, also known as “Mel,” “Young God,” “Young,” and “YG,” 34, formerly of Hartford, Connecticut guilty of Murder; Kidnapping; and Causing a Death Through the Use of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime, for the shooting death of Serafin Velez, 27, in Hartford, Connecticut on February 16, 2012.
Scott Facing Life In Federal Prison
At sentencing, which has not been scheduled, Scott faces a mandatory term of life in federal prison. Scott has been detained in federal custody since April 2014 and has recently completed a 158-month federal prison for heading a gang-related drug trafficking organization.
According To Evidence Presented At Trial
According to U.S. Attorney David X. Sullivan and evidence presented at trial, Velez was fatally shot in retaliation for a failed marijuana transaction that cost Scott and others tens of thousands of dollars. Velez and an associate had brokered the marijuana deal with individuals in New York. After receiving the money, the New York individuals gave Scott and his associates fake marijuana.
After receiving the fake marijuana, Scott forced Velez at gunpoint into a vehicle and drove him to Waverly Street in Hartford, where Scott and an associate shot Velez to death.
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