Joshua Freitag remains held in the homicide case as police pursue allegations involving two large-capacity firearm magazines found after the killing.

SOMERS, Conn. — A Connecticut man charged with killing a 34-year-old man inside a South Road home in August is now facing a separate weapons case, adding new allegations to a prosecution that began after an early-morning shooting while his estranged wife and two children were inside the residence.

Joshua Freitag, 33, was charged Sept. 18 with two counts of illegal possession of a large-capacity magazine, according to Connecticut State Police and court records cited by local news organizations. The new allegations stem from a weapons compliance investigation that followed Freitag’s Aug. 18 arrest on charges of murder, home invasion and risk of injury to children. He remains held on a $1.5 million bond in the homicide case. The magazine charges are separate and do not change the fact that the murder and home-invasion allegations have not been proven in court.

The additional case grew from a search conducted after the fatal shooting of Mark Anthony Morgan, 34, of Enfield. State police said investigators recovered firearms from the South Road property while examining the circumstances surrounding Morgan’s death. A later arrest warrant said two Glock .40-caliber magazines found during an Aug. 25 search each had a capacity of 22 rounds and contained 21 rounds. Authorities subsequently sought an arrest warrant charging Freitag with unlawful possession of the magazines. Other firearms recovered in the investigation were described by police as legally registered to him.

The homicide investigation began shortly after 4 a.m. Aug. 18, when troopers were sent to the South Road residence after a report involving gunfire. Police said Freitag was outside the home when officers arrived and complied with commands. Inside, first responders found Morgan unresponsive in an upstairs bedroom. Emergency personnel attempted life-saving measures, but police said Morgan was pronounced dead at about 4:20 a.m. A woman and two minor children who were inside the residence were escorted out and were not physically injured.

According to the arrest warrant, Freitag and his estranged wife had communicated about Morgan before the shooting. The woman told investigators that Freitag saw Morgan’s vehicle in the driveway and questioned her about whether he was inside. She initially denied that Morgan was there, according to police. The warrant described a history of conflict between Freitag and Morgan, including earlier fights. Investigators have relied on those reported communications and the account of Freitag’s estranged wife to describe the events leading up to the shooting, but prosecutors still must prove the charged offenses beyond a reasonable doubt.

The woman told police that Freitag was no longer living at the house and that she had changed access to the home after the couple separated. She said she later awoke to the sound of breaking glass and saw Freitag enter through a damaged rear sliding door. Prosecutors later said in court that Freitag had parked away from the residence and used a sledgehammer to break the glass before going upstairs. Police allege that Morgan was in an upstairs bedroom when Freitag entered and fired multiple times. A handgun, an empty magazine and a holster were found near the front entrance, according to the warrant.

The ownership and access to the house emerged as an issue during Freitag’s first court appearance. Defense attorney Anthony Spinella told the court that Freitag still owned the residence and argued for a reduction of his $1.5 million bond, pointing to his surrender to police, lack of a prior criminal history and family responsibilities. The defense sought a $250,000 bond. Prosecutors opposed the request, describing the circumstances alleged by investigators and the early-morning entry into the residence. Judge Alyce L. Alfano kept the bond at $1.5 million. Protective orders were also issued for the woman and the children.

Public court records cited in local reports showed that divorce proceedings had been started shortly before the shooting. Freitag’s estranged wife told investigators that he was not residing at the South Road property and did not have normal access to the home. Those facts became relevant to the home-invasion charge, even as the defense emphasized Freitag’s ownership interest in the property. The competing arguments are legal matters for the court to resolve and do not by themselves establish whether the state can prove each element of home invasion at trial.

Morgan’s relatives attended Freitag’s Aug. 19 arraignment in Rockville Superior Court, where emotions rose as a prosecutor described the state’s allegations. Morgan was later remembered by relatives and friends as a father of two who worked in commercial flooring. A fundraiser created after his death said money was being collected for funeral and memorial costs, with remaining funds intended to help his children. The family’s statements offered a picture of Morgan beyond the criminal case while the investigation continued.

The two children who were inside the South Road home were not physically injured, police said, but their presence led to two risk-of-injury counts in the homicide case. State officials also became involved after the shooting, and the court issued protective orders covering the woman and the children. Authorities have not alleged that either child was targeted. Their presence, however, is part of the prosecution’s account of why the circumstances inside the home support charges beyond murder.

The Sept. 18 weapons case adds a second track to Freitag’s legal proceedings. State police said the magazine investigation arose from a court-issued protective order and a search-and-seizure process after the homicide arrest. Reports citing the later warrant said officers recovered a shotgun, a revolver and three pistols in addition to evidence associated with the original shooting investigation. Police said those five firearms were legally registered to Freitag. The new charges concern the capacity of two magazines rather than the lawful registration of those other guns.

Court records cited by Patch show that Freitag was appointed a public defender in the magazine case and that a separate $1,000 cash-or-surety bond was set on those charges. That bond does not replace the $1.5 million bond in the homicide prosecution, and Freitag remained in custody. The magazine case was continued to Oct. 23. Authorities have not announced a trial date in the murder case, and the available records do not establish when either prosecution will be resolved.

Freitag is presumed innocent unless and until he is convicted. As of Sept. 28, the central homicide allegations remain pending along with the separate magazine charges, while investigators and prosecutors continue to rely on the arrest warrants, scene evidence and witness accounts developed after Morgan’s death.

Author note: Last updated September 28, 2026.