Gun/Firearms Crimes

Boston Police Arrest Dorchester Man in Connection with Mattapan Murders

Published on: October 2, 2010 | by Lefteris K. Travayiakis, Esq.

Kimani Washington, 35, of Dorchester, Massachusetts, was arrested yesterday in connection with the Mattapan murders that took the lives of four people, one of which was a 2 year old boy. Although Washington was not charged with Murder, he was charged with Unlawful Possession of a Firearm, Unlawful Possession of Ammunition, and Receiving Stolen Motor Vehicle.

As reported in the Boston Criminal Lawyer’s Blog on September 28th, Simba Martin, Levaughn Washum-Garrison, Eyanna Smith and her 2 year old son were all found naked and shot to death at 40 Woolson Street in Mattapan in what is believed to be a drug deal gone bad.

A 5th victim, Marcus Hurd, still remains hospitalized from gunshot wounds and is in critical condition. Boston Police have previously stated that he is not expected to survive. Prior to Hurd falling unconscious in his hospital bed, he reportedly told police that he had gone to buy marijuana and that someone had shot him and taken the car.

Boston Man Gets 10 Years on Plea Deal for 2006 Cambridge Murder

Published on: September 9, 2010 | by Lefteris K. Travayiakis, Esq.

Sherrod Bright, 26, was sentenced to 10 years in connection to the 2006 Murder of Corey Davis of Cambridge, Massachusetts. In a plea deal, Bright pled Guilty to Manslaughter, being sentenced to 10 years in state prison, followed by 10 years probation upon his release.

According to the Cambridge Police Department and the Middlesex County District Attorney’s Office, on March 19, 2006, Cambridge Police were called to investigate a shooting on Hamilton Street in Cambridge. Once on scene, officers found Davis lying on the sidewalk suffering from multiple gunshot wounds.

In addition to Sherrod Bright, his brother, Ahmad Bright, 17 of Dorchester, was indicted by a Middlesex County Grand Jury on Second Degree Murder Charges and Unlawful Possession of a Firearm; and Remel Ahart, 21 of Cambridge, was also charged with First Degree Murder, Armed Assault to Murder, and two counts of Unlawful Possession of a Firearm. Cambridge Police allege that Ahart shot Davis from the backseat of a car near where his body was found, and that Bright participated in the shooting as a Joint Venturer. Both Ahmad Bright and Remel Ahart have been previously found guilty of these charges.

Boston Man Charged with Assault to Murder in Dorchester Shooting

Published on: September 1, 2010 | by Lefteris K. Travayiakis, Esq.

Kamal Oliver, 27, of Dorchester, Massachusetts, was arrested for allegedly shooting a man at 9:30 p.m. this past Monday on Lyndhurst Street in Dorchester.

The victim, Edward Toney, was reported to be in stable condition after having been treated for multiple gunshot wounds at Boston Medical Center. Oliver allegedly shot Toney as a result of an argument over a woman.

Oliver was arraigned yesterday morning in the Dorchester Division of the Boston Municipal Court on charges including Armed Assault to Murder, Assault & Battery with a Dangerous Weapon, Unlawful Possession of a Firearm, Unlawful Possession of Ammunition, and Carrying a Loaded Firearm. After his arraignment, Oliver was held on $200,000 cash bail.

Lynn Man is Second Person Charged with the Murder of Jaewon Martin in Boston

Published on: August 10, 2010 | by Lefteris K. Travayiakis, Esq.

Ramon Silvelo-Miles, 20, of Lynn, Massachusetts, was arraigned in the Roxbury Division of the Boston Municipal Court yesterday as the second person charged for the Murder of Jaewon Martin on May 8 at the Bromley Heath Housing Development on the Jamaica Plain – Roxbury line. He was held without bail on charges of Murder, Unlawful Possession of a Firearm, and Assault & Battery with a Dangerous Weapon.

The Boston Police Department and the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office allege that Silvelo-Mile adn Timothy Hearns (of Dorchester) went to the Bromley Heath Development in Roxbury for the specific purpose of shooting a rival gang member. As Silvelo-Miles waited in the car, Hearns is alleged to have gone to the steps of the development and began firing. Hearns allegedly fired two shots at Martin, one of which struck him in the chest; and then shooting at Martin’s 15 year-old friend in the chest and arm.

Following the shooting, Silvelo-Miles allegedly bragged about his involvement in the shooting, and certain witnesses apparently came forward with that information to the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office. As a result, Boston Police Homicide Detectives interviewed Silvelo-Miles but he claimed an alibi, which the Boston Police reports was found to be false.

Woman on Trial for Accidental Fatal Shooting of Son

Published on: August 3, 2010 | by Lefteris K. Travayiakis, Esq.

Lakeisha Gordon is currently on trial for Manslaughter in connection with the shooting death of her 8 year old son, Liquarry Jefferson, in 2007.

Gordon and her older son, Jayquan McConnico, were both charged in the boy’s death for unlawful storage of an unlicensed firearm within reach of a young child. Although McConnico was also charged, he pled guilty to similar charges in 2008.

Liquarry Jefferson was fatally shot in the home by another boy, who was 7 years old at the time. At trial today, the boy, now 10, testified that he was watching TV when Liquarry Jefferson showed him the gun, which belonged to Jayquan McConnico. The boy testified that he asked Jefferson if there were bullets in the gun, and Jefferson said no. At that point, the boy testified he accidentally shot Jefferson.

Suffolk County Grand Jury Returns Indictments in Murder of 14 Year Old Nicholas Fomby-Davis

Published on: July 3, 2010 | by Lefteris K. Travayiakis, Esq.

A Suffolk County Grand Jury returned indictments yesterday against the two men charged with the Murder of 14 year old Nicholas Fomby-Smith on May 30, 2010. As reported in the Boston Criminal Lawyer’s Blog on June 1, 2010, Boston Police and Suffolk County prosecutors allege that Crisostomo Lopes, 20, and Joshua Fernandes, 16, attacked Fomby-Davis while he was riding his scooter.

According to the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office, Lopes pulled Fomby-Davis off his scooter and held him down while Fernandes shot him in the chest. Despite being only 16 years old, Fernandes will be tried for Murder as an adult in Suffolk Superior Court. Massachusetts state law permits defendants ages 14 and older who are charged with Murder to be tried as an adult.

Fernandes has also been indicted with Unlawful Possession of a Firearm, and both defendants are currently held without bail.

Phillip Markoff, The Alleged Craigslist Killer, Trial Set for March 2011

Published on: June 30, 2010 | by Lefteris K. Travayiakis, Esq.

Phillip Markoff, the former Boston University medical student and accused Craigslist killer is scheduled to go on trial for the Murder of a 24 year-old masseuse in a Boston’s Marriott Copley Place Hotel.

Markoff is alleged to have met the victim, Julissa Brisman, 25, through a Craigslist ad she placed advertising erotic services. The Boston Police and Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office have accused Markoff of meeting with Brisman at the hotel, and crushing her skull with the butt of a handgun, and then shooting her three times in the chest. He then allegedly hid the murder weapon in a hollowed-out textbook in his apartment in Quincy, where he lived at the time.

The Boston Police report that, during an extensive search of his home, they also seized four pairs of women’s panties hidden in his mattress box spring, as well as plastic ties they say are similar to those he allegedly used to bind his victims. In separate investigations involving other women, Markoff’s fingerprints were also reportedly lifted from the duct tape he allegedly used to gag one of his victims.

Massachusetts Governor Proposes Gun Law Reform to Stem Violence

Published on: June 16, 2010 | by Lefteris K. Travayiakis, Esq.

In the wake of increased shootings and murders in the Boston area this year, Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick is pressuring state lawmakers to pass a new gun law bill that would limit gun buyers to one firearm per month. The new bill would also encourage the Massachusetts District Attorney’s Offices to seek to deny bail to those charged with Unlawful Possession of a Firearm; as well as limit the use of certain firearms at gun clubs and shooting ranges.

Unfortunately for Massachusetts’ Governor and those lawmakers in favor of passing such a bill, doing so would do nothing to stem the violence that has plagued the inner city. It is well-documented that the overwhelming majority of, if not all, crimes involving guns are committed with unregistered or illegal firearms. Limiting citizens’ rights of those who have been screened and issued valid gun licenses will have absolutely no impact on curbing inner-city violence.

When someone with a gun license purchases a firearm, he/she is not only checked by the local police department, but also screened through the FBI database. Each time someone buys a gun, the gunshop owner checks with the FBI prior to issuing the gun. Additionally, each gun is designated with a serial number, so even if that person then transfers that gun to another person, it must then be re-registered to that new buyer. A gun owner cannot, for example, buy a gun and simply give it to anyone he wants.

Mattapan Man Charged with Robbery at Boston Movie Theater

Published on: June 15, 2010 | by Lefteris K. Travayiakis, Esq.

Chukuma E. Ajene, 26, of Mattapan, Massachusetts, was arrested this past weekend for allegedly attempting to rob the AMC Lowes Theater on Tremont Street in Boston.

The Boston Police Department reported that Ajene, armed with a gun, allegedly jumped the counter and threatened to shoot everyone in the theater. The incident was apparently captured on the video surveillance system, and nobody was reported to have been harmed.

Ajene is expected to be charged with Armed Robbery, Trespassing, and Gun / Firearms Charges.

Two Dorchester Men Arrested for Shooting 15 Year Old Teen

Published on: June 13, 2010 | by Lefteris K. Travayiakis, Esq.

Chester A. Johnson, 24, and Terrance L. Blalock, 27, both from Dorchester, Massachusetts, were arrest last night in connection with the shooting of a 15 year old old in Dorchester.

According to the Boston Police Department, the 15 year old was riding his bike on Eustis Street in Dorchester when a car pulled up alongside him. One man got out of the car, fired several shots at the teenager, and then got back in the car. The car was eventually pulled over and both Johnson and Blalock were arrested on Quincy Street less than 20 minutes after the shooting.

The 15 year old victim was taken to a Boston area hospital where his injuries were reported as non-life-threatening. This incident marks the fifth shooting of a Boston teenager in the last several weeks.