Plaza Midwood Murder at Pool Builders Supply - Adam Latif Mercado Charged

Three homicides across two counties in one night were linked to a convicted felon from Monroe with a lengthy criminal record.

Adam Latif Mercado, 34 Photo Courtesy MCSO

Adam Latif Mercado, 34, was arrested in connection with the double homicide of 52-year-old Matthew Charles Moody and 49-year-old James Curtis Wallace in Monroe, as well as 68-year-old Gerald Barnes in Charlotte.

Barnes was found dead with multiple stab wound on Central Avenue in Plaza Midwood around 9 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 6, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police said.

CMPD Charging Affidavit:

On November 6, 2025, officers with the Eastway Division responded to 1124 Central Avenue in reference to Death Investigation call for service. Upon arrival officers located the victim, Gerald Thomas Barnes, inside the building suffering from multiple stab wounds Officers pronounced Barnes deceased at 2117 hours.

Video footage shows that at approximately 1400 hours a black male with his hair in twists and a goatee wearing blue shirt and orange gloves arrive at the location in brown Hyundai sedan. 

The male talks to the victim and then attempts to show the victim an item in his bookbag.

As the victim looks the male stabs the victim in the neck and then demands that he surrender his car keys. 

The victim surrenders his car keys stabs him several more times as the victim falls to the ground. 

The male then goes through the victim's pockets and takes his wallet. Footage then shows the male drive the victim's black Honda Fit over to the Hyundai Sonata he arrived in. The male loads items into the Fit and then drives away.

Detectives sent BOLO regionally for the black Honda Fit. Officers in Anson Count occupied one time by male identified as Adam Mercado DOB 01/11/1991. Detectives were able to positively identify Mercado as the suspect in the homicide footage. Mercado is being charged with First Degree Murder and Robbery with Dangerous Weapon.

Mercado is being held at the Mecklenburg County Jail without bond.

Hours after he killed Barnes, just after midnight going into Friday, Monroe police were called to an apartment on Nelda Drive for a welfare check. There, they found Moody and Wallace had been killed.

He will be held in Charlotte on the Union County Charges for the time being.

Massive Criminal History

Mercado’s first felony conviction happened in 2009 in Cabarrus County. He was charged with common law robbery and placed on probation.

Department of Correction records showed he was charged with several other felonies over the years in Union and Mecklenburg counties. His most recent conviction was in 2024 for possession of a schedule II substance.

In 2019, he was convicted of breaking and entering into a house of worship in Union County.

Mercado in 2018 attempted to break in to a woman’s workplace after she evicted his girlfriend. By that point, police said he faced almost 50 charges within the last four years.

Cedar's Take:

Same Bat Shit Crazy Story same Bat Shit Crazy Channel

Based on court documents this MoFo was released from Union County jail on October 30, 2025 less than a week ago.

The system is broken. There is no uniform reporting of crime or arrests and sheriff department records are difunctionally inadequate.

This information should be easy access and uniform across all 100 North Carolina counties.

McFadden hides arrests, Union County outsources the data and it is never up to date. The North Carolina General Assembly needs to correct this since the courts will not protect us from violent felons at least we can have access to know who they are.