Press Releases

02/23/2024

Judge Sentences Jose Soto to 30 Years in Prison for 2021 Fatal Shooting of Trevor Figueroa in Waterbury

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

(Waterbury, CT) – Maureen T. Platt, State’s Attorney for the Waterbury Judicial District, today announced that the Honorable Joseph Schwartz on February 22, 2024 sentenced Jose Soto, age 27, of Springfield, Mass., to 30 years in prison for the 2021 fatal shooting of Trevor Figueroa, age 27, in Waterbury.

Soto pleaded guilty in Waterbury Superior Court to charges of Murder in violation of Connecticut General Statutes § 53a-54a, Criminal Possession of a Firearm in violation of Connecticut General Statutes § 53-217 and Carrying a Pistol Without a Permit in violation of Connecticut General Statutes § 29-35(a).

According to an arrest warrant affidavit, in the early morning hours of July 17, 2021, Waterbury police responded to a call of shots fired at the intersection of East Main and Wall streets where they found the victim suffering from a gunshot wound to the face. The victim was taken to the hospital where he later died. From video from surveillance cameras in the area that recorded the shooting, police determined that a vehicle used in the shooting had a Massachusetts license tag. With the help of police in Massachusetts, Waterbury police identified the defendant and two other suspects. Soto was arrested in October 2021.

“Though nothing can bring back Mr. Figueroa or lessen the pain his family has endured, we hope the judge’s sentence brings some measure of peace in knowing that the person responsible for Mr. Figueroa’s senseless and unimaginable death has been brought to justice and punished," State's Attorney Platt said.

The case was prosecuted by Senior Assistant State’s Attorney Marc Ramia, with assistance from Inspector Timothy Kluntz.