Man charged with murder in Meriden smoke shop stabbing

Issac Nelson was formally charged with murder on Friday in the death of Marcus Mitchell, a 51-year-old man who was stabbed on Pratt Street in Meriden last week. Police confirmed that Mitchell died from his injuries after being rushed to a nearby hospital.

Officers responded to the Green on the Green Smoke Shop on Pratt Street just before 7 p.m. last Friday after receiving a report of an injured person. While the stabbing occurred elsewhere on the street near the Green, Mitchell ran into the shop to seek assistance. Staff members and bystanders aided him until first responders arrived on the scene.

Meriden detectives identified Nelson as the suspect following the incident. He was already in custody on unrelated charges several hours after the stabbing occurred. Officials secured an arrest warrant for Nelson on Wednesday before filing the murder charge on Friday. Nelson remains incarcerated on the initial incident while awaiting his bond hearing.

The court set Nelson's bond at $1.5 million for the stabbing charge. This amount is in addition to a $2 million bond required for the unrelated incident that led to his initial arrest. Police have not yet disclosed the specific details of that separate case.

Mitchell was pronounced dead at the hospital after the emergency transport. The case marks a second major bond amount for Nelson as he faces both sets of charges in the Meriden judicial system.