NEW BEDFORD — The man charged with New Bedford's seventh and eighth murders of the year has been ordered held without bail.

Prosecutors say Carmelo Kercado, Jr. shot 27-year-old Stephen Bodden and 28-year-old Fabio Tavares five times each as they drove in a car down Central Avenue early in the morning of October 10.

Kercado, 35, was ordered held without bail by Judge John Stapleton in Third District Court. The case was continued until February 23, with court documents ordered impounded until that date.

Prosecutors from the Bristol County District Attorney's Office alluded to the possibility that Kercado was also responsible for the murder of 33-year-old Marcus Roberts back in August, and that Roberts was a friend of Bodden. They say a video appeared on social media in which Bodden professed revenge for his friend's murder.

WBSM News will update this story shortly.

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