A 2021 episode of Dateline: Secrets Uncovered delved into the case of Nicolas Morelos' death, a case that had almost too many possibilities because of the long list of suspects that the police initially arrived at. Dating back to 2016, this murder sent shockwaves across the city of Tucson, Arizona, due to the brutal nature of the crime.
Nicolas Morelos was considered one of the toughest men around by his friends and acquaintances. As the director of maintenance at Marana Aerospace Solutions, he allegedly made his fair share of enemies, which ultimately led to his death. Morelos was found dead in his Tucson home, shot to death with eight bullets.
The synopsis for the episode, titled Stone-Cold, read:
"Nick popped the question and Kristy said yes; they were busy planning their future when she found him dead in the bedroom; police questioned spurned lovers and office enemies before a tip from Nick's brother helped reveal the true killer."The episode aired again on November 29, 2022, and is also available for streaming on DirectTV.
Who was Nicolas Morelos and how did he die?
Nicolas Morelos was a 45-year-old ex-Marine who resided in Tucson, Arizona. Known to his friends and many love interests as "Nic," he worked as the director of maintenance at Marana Aerospace Solutions. Widely known as a very tough man, he was also quite dedicated to his job. He was close to his family and lived with his dog, Smokey.
His brother, Josh Morelos, described Nicolas as:
"He was tough,...He was — excuse the language — a hard a--, very local, intimidating to some."His "tough boss" behavior meant that he made a considerable number of workplace enemies and was on the receiving end of many HR complaints.
However, there was another big reason for people to hate Nicolas Morelos. He was a ladies' man and had reportedly dated multiple women from his workplace. He finally settled down with fiancé Kristina Trepanitis, who was also the one who found him dead on July 18, 2016.
Trepanitis called 911 on the morning of July 18, 2016, saying that her fiancee had been shot to death. Speaking to Dateline, she recalled:
"I zeroed in on him. He was just laying there and he was just, just full of bullet holes...This is the man I was supposed to marry."Investigators sprung into action, trying to solve the brutal murder. Nicolas was shot eight times, and one was to the middle of his head. Investigators also found bullet holes in the wall and 11 shell casings around the body. Fortunately, the perpetrator also left behind some very crucial clues, like blood on a broken glass pane.
After speaking to numerous women from Nic's past, the investigators eventually reached out to a colleague of Nic's named James Lapan. Lapan was dating Jessica, one of Nic's exes at the time, which became the first point of suspicion for the authorities. Further investigation revealed that James had complained about Nic several times and was reportedly jealous of him. He also had a large cut on his arm, which strengthened suspicions about him.
He was eventually brought in for questioning, and soon enough, a search warrant for his house was procured. Upon searching his house, authorities found 18 boxes of .45 caliber shell casings, which resembled the ones found in Nicolas Morelos' house. A DNA test also further confirmed his involvement in the murder.
James was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole for the murder of Nicolas Morelos. Dateline: Secrets Uncovered discusses this case in detail.
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