For Immediate Release
Contact: Lindsay Corcoran 508-368-7252
WORCESTER – Jose Morales was convicted of second-degree murder Monday by a Superior Court jury, according to Worcester County District Attorney Joseph D. Early Jr.
Morales, 25, of Worcester, was found guilty in the July 20, 2016 stabbing death of 37-year-old Lee Daniels after a weeklong trial.
Daniels had been stabbed in the chest and was found by first responders in his car in the YMCA parking lot on Main Street in Worcester. He was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment and was pronounced dead a short time later.
Morales was arrested in New Jersey in October of 2016 and has been in custody since.
“I want to thank the prosecution team of Assistant District Attorneys Tim Westerman and Connor Geraghty and Victim Witness Advocate James Pearson for their hard work on this case,” Early said. “I also want to thank the Worcester Police Department for their hard work, thorough investigation and relentless pursuit of justice. The combined investigation with the Massachusetts State Police Violent Fugitive Apprehension Section and the U.S. Marshals led them to New Jersey to apprehend this suspect.”
Morales will be sentenced at a later date.