Homicide Watch Boston

Olivia Mora, charged in the alleged drunk driving death of a 7-year-old girl, was arraigned at Suffolk Superior Court today.

Mora, 36, of Dorchester is accused of fatally striking Brianna Rosales, also of Dorchester, with her vehicle on Onley Street last November. The girl’s mother Glendalee Alvarado was also seriously injured in the crash.

Mora was held on a $150,000 cash bail after her arraignment, according to her court docket. She was previously charged in District. She was indicted for several charges including manslaughter by motor vehicle and operating under the influence causing serious bodily injury at Suffolk Superior Court in mid-March.
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A Dorchester mother, whose son was killed two years ago, embraced the mother of her son’s murderer Ramon Dingle-Smith, at Suffolk Superior Court after he was sentenced to life without parole for the slaying.

The jury had convicted the 21-year-old Dingle-Smith for the March 2012 death of Jason Withers, 25.

In a moment that seemed to slow time and brought many in the courtroom to tears, the women stood hugging with the victim’s mother’s letting go with two words, “I’m sorry.” Read more

The mysterious killing of Ibragim Todashev, the friend of the alleged bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev, by a Boston FBI agent in May has been justified, according to a report released Tuesday by a Florida prosecutor.

The report calls Tsarnaev, 27, a “fearless fighter.” While being interviewed in his Orlando apartment, Tsarnaev attacked the agent and a Massachusetts state trooper with a long metal pole.

The mixed-martial arts fighter had allegedly just admitted to his involvement in a triple 2011 Waltham murder. Read more

A year after allegedly committing the first murder of 2013 in Boston, a Brighton man is due in court the end of January. Brian MacDonald, 25, pleaded innocent to fatally stabbing 21-year-old Anthony Spaulding at a New Year’s house party at 48 Pratt Street last year, after an argument between the two escalated into a brawl.

Spaulding was sent to Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center with at least five stab wounds. He was pronounced dead shortly after. Read more

Police are continuing to investigate the fatal shooting that left one man dead and another man in critical condition in Dorchester last March.

Thaddeus Clark, 18, and another unidentified male were shot inside a grey Toyota Corolla on Columbia Road at Hancock Street, according to a police report. Clark was pronounced dead at the scene. Read more

Revelations of a violent past and connections stemming over two years with the Department of Children and Families have come to light days after a 14-year-old Mattapan teenager was accused of fatally shooting his younger brother.

The unidentified youth was ordered held on bail Monday, a few hours before the Mattapan’s family involvement with the DCF was revealed by Governor Deval Patrick.

On Monday, police also identified his 9-year old brother as Janmarcos Peña. The eldest brother allegedly shot Peña on Friday morning, a school day, at their home.  The Suffolk District Attorney Daniel Conley’s office said he was “recklessly” handling a firearm when it struck his brother who died at Boston Medical Center soon after.

The teen is charged with involuntary manslaughter and possession of an illegal firearm.

Governor Patrick spoke to reporters outside the State House on Monday. The Boston Globe reports he told reporters that eight days before the murder, a social worker with the DCF had visited the family.

Health and Human Services Secretary John Polanowicz also told reporters of the DCF’s history with the family, with DCF officials trying to take custody of the teen late last year. When they were denied custody, they continued to check up on the family, with the last visit being Jan. 30, he said.

The boy’s violent streak led his mother to frequently call police to aid in controlling her son, the Globe reports.

Officers visited his home three times in the past year, arresting him three times for assault, police reports obtained by the Globe show. In one instance, the Globe says, the boy struck his younger brother in the face, knocking him to the ground.

Family members were not aware the youth had a gun, according to Conley’s office. In their story on Wednesday, The Boston Globe also spoke to two unidentified law enforcement officials who said the boy allegedly obtained the gun for self-protection.

In May, the youth was sent to a 45-day residential program known as STARRS, according to Polanowicz. The program is designed to help stabilize troubled teens. Polanowicz said the teen ran away the same day he arrived.

“The department did all the right things in this, and we just have an incredibly tragic outcome,’’ he said.

The agency worked with the Mattapan family for the past two years, according to the Globe.

On Monday, when the teen was held on a $50,000 bail, the boy’s defense lawyer, Michael Doolin, told Globe reporters that the teen was scared and heartbroken.

The boy denied the charges and his mother and older sister were present in the closed proceedings, the Globe reports.

“He comes from a family who cares very much about him,” he said, according to the Globe.

A Mattapan teen will be arraigned tomorrow on charges in the death of his 9-year-old brother who was shot and killed Friday morning, Suffolk district attorney’s office said.

Boston Police believe the unidentified 14-year-old, whose name was not released because of his age, was playing with the firearm “recklessly” when it fired and struck his brother in the chest.

Boston police officers responded to a call for a person shot in the area of 617 Morton Street before noon on Friday, a school day.

The nine-year-old was taken to Boston Medical Center, suffering from a gunshot wound, where he was pronounced dead, Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel Conley’s office said.

Early evidence indicates no one in the family knew the teenager had a gun, the DA’s office said in a statement.

The 14-year-old defendant, who was arrested walking away from the scene still carrying the gun, is charged with involuntary manslaughter and unlawful possession of a firearm, Conley’s office said.

Boston Police Commissioner William B. Evans told Boston Globe reporters at the scene that both boys were home with an older sister and that their mother was not home at the time of the shooting.

“Upon preliminary investigation, we believe that it was an accidental shooting, but unfortunately, we have [a young boy] dead at the scene,’’ Evans said, choking up. “It’s a terrible, terrible incident for the family involved here. … Obviously, the mother is extremely distraught.’’

Evans told the Globe he did bot believe the defendant was trying to flee.

“I think he panicked here,’’ Evans said. “I think he realized the gravity of what he had done. And he was very cooperative with the officer.”

Mayor Marty Walsh called the death a terrible tragedy.

“An 11-year-old boy should not be shot on a late Friday morning. He should be in school. His 14-year-old brother should not be in a situation where he has access to a gun — whether it was horseplay or whatever the circumstances,” Walsh told Herald reporters on scene.

District Attorney Conley is asking the public to help police in reducing guns.

“Part of our investigation in the days to come will be determining how this weapon got into the hands of a 14-year-old,” Conley said in a statement.“In the meantime, I want to make something crystal clear: if you know about an illegal firearm in this city, help us prevent another tragedy like this one.”

Press release from Boston Police Department:

Per Suffolk County District Dan Conley, a 14 year-old boy has been charged in the shooting death of his 9 year-old brother. The youth, whose name is not being released because of his age, will be arraigned next week on charges of Involuntary Manslaughter and Unlawful Possession of a Firearm.

The shooting incident remains under investigation by Boston Police Homicide Detectives and the Suffolk DA’s office.

At about 11:37am, on Friday, February 7, 2014, Boston Police Officers responded to a call for a person shot in the area of 617 Morton Street. On arrival, officers found a 9 year-old boy suffering from a gunshot wound. The boy was rushed to Boston Medical Center where he was pronounced deceased. The 14 year-old defendant was apprehended a short time later with what authorities say is the firearm that killed his brother.

Based on evidence at the scene and statements by individuals including the juvenile, investigators believe the boy was handling the firearm recklessly when it discharged. The evidence at this stage does not suggest that any other person in the juvenile’s home knew he possessed the firearm. The victim’s identity is also being withheld until full family notifications can be made.

“Part of our investigation in the days to come will be determining how this weapon got into the hands of a 14-year-old,” Conley said. “In the meantime, I want to make something crystal clear: if you know about an illegal firearm in this city, help us prevent another tragedy like this one. Boston Police are doing a tremendous job of taking guns off the street, but they aren’t mind readers. They need tips and information about these weapons before they’re used.”

The juvenile will be arraigned Monday in the Juvenile Session of Dorchester Municipal Court. That hearing will not be open to the public.

Authorities are continuing to investigate the killing of 18-year-old Jonathan Reyes, who was found dead outside a condominium in South Boston.

Reyes was shot 11 times Jan. 7 last year on West Second Street. He was taken to Tufts Medical Center, where he was later pronounced dead.

Officials told the Boston Globe that the incident may be drug-related. A white powder was found at the scene of the slaying, which is being tested to determine whether it was cocaine or heroin.

Authorities are continuing to investigate the fatal shooting of a mother found dead in her Roslindale apartment Jan. 29 last year.

Officials told the Boston Globe that Carly Jones, 32, was discovered on her bed with multiple gunshot wounds to the back of her head.

According to her obituary, Jones returned to school to pursue a Bachelors in Architectural Design at Boston Architectural College. She will receive her diploma posthumously in April.

A trial date for Boston Marathon bomb suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev  has been set for Nov. 3 despite requests from defense attorneys for a later date.

US District Court Judge George A. O’Toole slated the date, saying the government’s request for a fall trial was more reasonable than the defense’s requests, the Boston Globe reports.

A joint status report was filed Monday in US District Court in Boston by Federal prosecutors and defense attorneys. In the report, defense attorneys asked for a trial date in September 2015, at the earliest.

Prosecutors believe the trial will span about 12 weeks with a sentencing hearing lasting an additional six weeks, according to the report. The report does not show when federal prosecutors would like to go to trial.

Scores of evidence, including nearly 2,000 items that are reportedly still being analyzed by the FBI and items kept at other locations, have yet to bet reviewed by the defense, the report noted.

A hearing in the case was also scheduled for June 18 where both sides are expected to discuss if  the defense wants a change of venue, the Globe reports.

Tsarnaev, 20, and his brother Tamerlan, 26, are accused in the April 15 bombings. More than 260 people were injured and Lingzi Lu, 23, Krystle Campbell, 29, and Martin Richard, 8, were killed.

The eldest brother died in a shootout with police in Watertown, fours days after the bombings. Tsarnaev is also accused of killing MIT police officer, Sean Collier, as both brothers tried to escape the area.

Tsarnaev has been held at  a federal prison at the former Fort Devens and faces charges that could bring him the death penalty.