By Vinaya Saksena

WRENTHAM, Mass. — Three area men appeared in the Wrentham District Court on Friday on charges related to the alleged murder of a former Central Falls resident in October.

Ariel Morales, 32, of Central Falls and Jose Perez, 29, of Pawtucket were arraigned on charges related to the murder of Carlos Gomez, while Luiz Lopez, 24, also of Central Falls was back in court the same day for a status hearing. The new suspects were ordered held without bail, and all three are due back in court on Jan. 7, 2008 for a status hearing.
Gomez’s body was found on the eastbound side of Route 106, near Hampshire Street in Foxborough, Mass. by a passing motorist on the morning on Oct. 15. Nolfolk County District Attorney William Keating’s office indicated shortly thereafter that his death was being investigated as a homicide, with signs that Gomez had likely been shot. To date, authorities have not revealed a possible motive for the alleged shooting.
The first arrest announced in the case was that of Lopez, who was arrested last month as a fugitive from justice in Rhode Island before being rendered to Massachusetts to face the murder charge. Earlier this week, Morales and Perez were arrested and rendered to Massachusetts in much the same manner. None of the suspects contested their rendition, though Lopez plead not guilty to the murder charge last month.