murder

murder

Sidewalk prayer service remembers slain mother

In the wake of the murder of 29-year old Melissa Santiago across the street from his church, Pastor Bruce Wall led a sidewalk prayer service in front of the Washington Street home where the young mother was slain.

Santiago was stabbed on March 9 at her Washington Street residence, which is close to Wall's Global Ministries Christian Church. Her boyfriend, Jose Torres, was arrested in connection with the stabbing and sent to Bridgewater State Hospital for a mental evaluation. He is due back in court March 28.  Read more

Defense says Port Norfolk arson killing not gang-related

An attorney defending a Dorchester man charged with murder and setting fire to a Port Norfolk Street home in 2001 lit into a top witness for the prosecution this week, accusing her of setting up the fire and lying to a grand jury investigating the case.

In a heated exchange on Tuesday, Robert Galibois, a Barnstable lawyer defending Eric King, on trial for the arson and murder, attempted to rip apart the testimony of Tamia Brown, who has pleaded guilty as an accessory before the fact to the murder of 53-year-old Shelby Caddell by directing King and others to the home.  Read more

Man found stabbed to death in Tuttle Street home

Neighbors on a quiet Savin Hill sidestreet awoke to a crime scene last Thursday morning, after police discovered a young man stabbed to death in a third floor apartment at 56 Tuttle St.

Boston Police say the victim is Daniel Yakovleff, 20, of Roxbury. He was found dead at approximately 6 a.m.

According to sources familiar with the investigation, the third-floor tenant told police he had picked up two men at a bar and brought them back to his apartment. When he woke up the following morning, the tenant called police after finding one of them had been stabbed.  Read more

Shootings rattle nerves along Dot Ave.

A trio of unsolved shootings along Dorchester Avenue, including two which resulted in homicides in the last week, have rattled nerves and outraged residents and merchants unaccustomed to gunfire on the relatively peaceful thoroughfare. While Boston Police doubt that the three incidents are connected, the brazen nature of the attacks and uncertainty about their motivations, have prompted strong feelings from community activists.  Read more

New year opens with two murders in Dot

Six days. That's how long it took for Boston to witness its first homicide of the year, a shooting on Bowdoin Street that was quickly followed by another murder the next night at a take-out Chinese restaurant on Dorchester Avenue.

Both were young black males.

Joseph Clarke, 23, of Dorchester, was shot at the intersection of Norton Street and Bowdoin Street in Sunday's early mornings hours, at about 1:49 a.m. He had been shot in the head. He was sent to Boston Medical Center and pronounced dead.  Read more

15 year-old is charged in Lower Mills murder

A 15 year-old Mattapan teen was arrested Tuesday and charged with manslaughter in the June murder of a 41 year-old man that stunned the Lower Mills neighborhood.

The teen, whose identity was not divulged because of his age, was 14 at the time of the attack. According to a statement released this week by police and prosecutors, the teen was "identified during the course of an extensive and ongoing Grand Jury investigation."  Read more

Boy, 13, shot dead near his home; not seen as target

Steven Odom, 13, was just steps from his Evans Street door last Thursday evening when he was gunned down, shot in the head by an unknown assailant. Within minutes, he was pronounced dead at Boston Medical Center, making the middle school student the 52nd homicide victim of the year.

Boston Police said this week that they do not believe Odom was the intended target of the shooting.

"The information right now suggests that he was struck accidentally by somebody who was firing at someone else," said Elaine Driscoll, a spokesperson for the BPD.  Read more

Families link up to navigate life after murder

Years ago, Tina Chery had a dream, or rather a college project.

She wanted to design a support network for survivors of violent crime that could help guide them through the criminal justice system. Ten years later, thanks to a grant from the Boston Public Health Commission and the Lenny Zakim Fund, that dream has become a reality.  Read more