A high-risk sex offender is now accused of killing a Hudson Valley man.

Following a massive search, Level-3 sex offender Wilfredo Mercado, 51, was arrested. He’s accused of murdering 61-year-old Robert Munson Wednesday morning.

Munson was found murdered inside 44 Grand Street early Wednesday morning. The building was once home to a popular Newburgh bar, Pineapple Larry’s.

The building is now operated by Youth Advocate Programs, Inc. Which offers transitional life skills training to homeless men, including some formally incarcerated persons.

Munson was a YAP advocate since 2014, and worked the overnight shift, police say

Mercado was charged with second-degree murder. Hours before his arrest, police notified the public to be on the lookout for Mercado, calling him, “extremely dangerous.” The motive at this time is unclear. 

According to the New York State Sex Offender’s Database, Mercado raped a 25-year-old female in Orange County in 1991. He was convicted in 1997 and sentenced to four to nine years in prison.

Level-3 sex offenders are considered to have the highest risk of a repeat offense and are considered the greatest risk to the public.

 

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