Man From Franklin Faces Felony Firearm Charges After Facebook Marketplace Meetup Robbery

CONCORD, NH — A man from Franklin is facing felony charges after a three-week investigation into a robbery on Fort Eddy Road.

Octavio Isiaiah Mercedes, 24, of Terrace Road in Franklin, was arrested on May 6, on felony counts of robbery-firearm, criminal threatening-deadly weapon, reckless conduct-deadly weapon, and felonious use of a firearm.

Around 12:30 p.m. on April 14, officers were sent to Fort Eddy Road after receiving a report from a man in his 30s who was threatened with a firearm during a meeting arranged on Facebook Marketplace involving the sale of an iPhone 13 for $150. The victim had traveled from out of state to meet with the seller in Concord. He said the incident occurred outside Petco but flagged officers down at the Hannaford supermarket.

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The victim met with the seller, handed the suspect $160 and was given $10 back. But when they checked the phone, it was locked due to it being issued to a different carrier, a report said. The victim asked for his money back, but instead, claimed the seller pulled a handgun from his waistband and pointed it at the buyer.

“Go before I shoot you,” the victim claimed the suspect stated.

The suspect took his phone out and began to record the seller and then, fled the area in what the victim described as a white Honda sedan with a Massachusetts license plate.

Concord police dispatch contacted NH 911 to get the registration information, but found it was not connected to any vehicle.

Editor's note: This post was derived from information supplied by the Concord Police Department and does not indicate a conviction. This link explains the removal request process for New Hampshire Patch police reports.

Detectives began investigating the incident and were able to access surveillance footage of the incident.

The sedan had specialized features, including tinted windows, chrome rims, and distinct fog lights. A detective wrote the air intake at the front of the vehicle was split into two segments by the front bumper. A search of vehicles online found no Hondas matching the car, but another detective realized it might be an Infiniti Q50 sedan. That detective later matched the features and shape of the suspect’s car to the Q50 photos online.

An image was distributed to other departments and the Commonwealth Fusion Center in Massachusetts, which analyzes data and information for investigations, including terrorism prevention.

Four days later, the second detective listened to the 911 recording and began to make various queries based on variations of the Mass. registration information submitted by the victim. One hit came back — a white 2014 Infiniti Q50 owned by Mercedes, the detective wrote.

The reporting detective stated Mercedes’ car was registered in Fall River, Massachusetts, with a “secondary address” listed in Manchester. The second detective contacted Manchester police about the vehicle, and an analyst with the department said they had a June 2024 motor vehicle stop, with a woman who was driving, in the Queen City, according to the affidavit.

The second detective requested the Mass State Police to “hot list” the car for future license plate reader information and the prior 30 days of data. A trooper in Massachusetts provided the detective with one result from a commercial vehicle equipped with a mobile license plate reader, a report stated.

“(The) trooper advised that this reader was most likely attached to a repossession vehicle,” the detective wrote.

The hit came back to Mercedes’ vehicle being on Interstate 93 in the area of Mountain Road and Shaker Road around 6:15 p.m. on April 14, “only a couple of hours after the incident at Petco took place,” an affidavit stated. A photo from the reader “appeared to be the same vehicle” from the Fort Eddy Road surveillance footage, the detective wrote, noting many of the specialized features on the car.

The second detective went to Franklin to speak to the landlord of the apartment building where Mercedes was living and confirmed his residency with the woman who drove the car when it was stopped in Manchester last year, the report stated. That night, the third detective was undercover in Franklin and reported seeing the white Infiniti Q50 sedan parked at the property, a report said.

A search warrant was requested for the apartment and Concord police and Franklin police coordinated a plan to implement the warrant.

“Octavio eventually answered the door and was detained in handcuffs,” the detective wrote.

The affidavit said police found a Smith & Wesson M&P 9C pistol; a magazine with 17 9 mm rounds; a medallion with the word “Sixowe,” which was the name the victim claimed was on the Facebook account he was interacting with; a Smith & Wesson 9 mm magazine with ammo in it, an Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max with a retail box consistent with the one posted on Facebook; a black safe which was seized and opened three days later and it contained a Smith & Wesson M&P Bodyguard .380 pistol; a six round magazine with six hollow point cartridges and one round in the chamber; two USB flash drives; and a necklace medallion with the woman’s partial name which was the second name of the Facebook account.

Detectives spoke with Mercedes, but he “did not provide any substantive information about the incident,” the report said. However, he confirmed he was in Concord that morning, at work, at a local store, the detective wrote.

The victim met with detectives on April 25, but there was a language barrier since he spoke Portuguese. His wife, however, assisted with translation. The victim reiterated everything he had told officers before, but stated he gave the suspect $360 and got $10 change back from the sale. The victim believed when the suspect pulled out the handgun and loaded it, he was going to be shot, the affidavit stated.

The second detective spoke about the Mass. registration being off and learned from his dialect the letter “X” was pronounced like the number “6,” the report stated, which is why it was incorrect in the 911 report.

A warrant was then issued for Mercedes’ arrest. He was arrested on Tuesday, held without bail, and arraigned in Concord District Court on Wednesday.

Mercedes, according to a superior court report, was convicted of receiving stolen property in August 2019 after an incident in June 2018 in Plaistow. He was originally charged with a felony, but the charge was lessened due to a plea deal. He received a 12-month sentence, deferred for a year, and a $1,240 fine, suspended for three years. Mercedes was ordered to pay $150 restitution and $1,071.40 extradition costs to the sheriff’s department.

Thirteen months later, Mercedes failed to appear at a deferred sentence hearing and was arrested later. In December 2020, his sentence was amended to be deferred for another two years.

Concord police asked anyone with information about the incident to contact the Criminal Investigations Division at 603-225-8600. Tips can also be submitted anonymously through the Concord Regional Crimeline at 603-226-3100 or online at concordregionalcrimeline.com.

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