Omar Bonner | Homicide Watch Boston

Multi-defendant murder trial begins

Gail Waterhouse — Thu, 02 Jun 2016 19:59:52 -0400

By Miharu Sugie

Thursday marked the beginning of the trial for three out of four people accused of killing Romeo McCubbin in Dorchester in 2013.

Andrew Robertson, Omar Bonner and Omar Denton are charged for the Dec. 14, 2013 shooting on Havelock Street. A fourth defendant Javaine Watson will be tried in court later because of health issues, according to officials from the Suffolk County DA's office.

Romeo McCubbin

Both the prosecution and defense presented opening statements Thursday morning, and in the afternoon, the prosecution began calling witnesses.

The first witness in court was Ian Simpson, a 49-year-old resident of Havelock Street. Simpson, a construction worker originally from Jamaica, described what he heard and saw that night. A key piece evidence for the prosecution in this case is the surveillance video that Boston Police obtained from Simpson’s security cameras facing Havelock Street.

It was shortly after 1:30 a.m., Simpson described while sitting on the witness stand, when he heard four to five gunshots and the sound of a car bumping into another car. He was in his bed on the second floor, he testified, trying to sleep.

From his bedroom window facing the street, the Dorchester resident said he saw a man falling out of a vehicle in front of his house and a car pull off.

“I saw a guy with a gun in his hand. I heard like a click,” Simpson said. “Then I see the hand motion to reset the gun. And I heard more gun shots.”

Soon after, Simpson said he saw another man kicking the person lying on the ground, yelling and swearing. Just as displayed in the security video played in the courtroom, Simpson saw two men running away. Policemen arrived at the scene shortly after. Eventually, two policemen came to his door.

Although the defendants’ attorneys repeatedly asked the witness whether he remembered the names and the physical appearances of the Boston Police officers who spoke with him and his father that night, Simpson was unable to identify any. Simpson also denied having said that he saw “two thin black males” on Havelock Street.

The prosecution testimony will continue in courtroom 817 at Suffolk Superior Court. For more details on the incident in December 2013: Universalhub.

Multi-defendant murder trial begins

Gail Waterhouse — Thu, 02 Jun 2016 19:59:52 -0400

By Miharu Sugie

Thursday marked the beginning of the trial for three out of four people accused of killing Romeo McCubbin in Dorchester in 2013.

Romeo McCubbin

Both the prosecution and defense presented opening statements Thursday morning, and in the afternoon, the prosecution began calling witnesses.

From his bedroom window facing the street, the Dorchester resident said he saw a man falling out of a vehicle in front of his house and a car pull off.

“I saw a guy with a gun in his hand. I heard like a click,” Simpson said. “Then I see the hand motion to reset the gun. And I heard more gun shots.”

The prosecution testimony will continue in courtroom 817 at Suffolk Superior Court. For more details on the incident in December 2013: Universalhub.

Third suspect arrested in McCubbin shooting

Todd Feathers — Wed, 02 Apr 2014 19:08:45 -0400

Boston police detectives on Thursday arrested a third suspect in last month's fatal shooting of 25-year-old Romeo McCubbin, the Suffolk district attorney's office said.

Javaine Watson, 23, pleaded innocent to the murder charge at his arraignment in Dorchester Municipal Court, just hours after his arrest. He was held without bail, said Jake Wark, a spokesman for the district attorney's office.

Prosecutors allege that Watson and two other men, Omar Bonner, 26, and Omar Denton, 29, shot McCubbin around 1:45 p.m. on Dec. 14. McCubbin was sitting in his car on Havelock Street in Mattapan when he was attacked, Wark said.

Bonner and Denton were arrested shortly after the shooting and are currently being held without bail. Watson is scheduled to return to court Feb. 27.

A copy of Watson's indictment has been added below.

Early Evidence presented in Romeo McCubbin's death

Melanie Dostis — Wed, 19 Mar 2014 11:06:08 -0400

The trial against the trio charged in Romeo McCubbin’s death is slowly developing as one of the defendant’s has asked for funds for an investigator, according to court documents.

Omar Bonner, 26, of Hyde Park, was granted $2,500 for an investigator during the first presentation of evidence in his case on March 12.

Bonner, along with Omar Denton, 29, and Javaine Watson, 23, are accused of fatally shooting McCubbin. All are being held without bail and have pleaded not guilty to first degree murder charges and possessing a firearm.

McCubbin was ambushed as he sat in his car near Havelock St. in Mattapan on Dec. 14, according to police reports. Bonner shot the 25-year-old multiple times and Denton then kicked him in the head.

A brief car chase ensued as a Boston police detective who heard the shots speed towards the men who had driven off at high speed.

Bonner ran out of the car, into the backyard of a house where police believe he tried to hide the weapon. Denton was soon found hiding under a nearby car. Watson was arrested later on Jan. 30.

Court documents show that the firearm police allegedly saw Bonner discard has been matched to shell casings recovered at the shooting scene.

Bonner and Denton had a history of violence. They were found guilty in 2011 of possessing an illegal weapon, court records show. Denton stood trial in 2004 for the murder of 19-year-old Cedric Phillips and was acquitted in that case.

McCubbin was arrested in early 2013 for possession of marijuana and a firearm, according to the Norwood Patch.

Prosecutors have not disclosed a motive for the shooting.

3^rd Defendant Held in December Homicide

BOSTON, Jan. 30, 2014—A third defendant has been held without bail in the shooting death last month of Romeo McCubbin, Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said today.

JAVAINE WATSON (D.O.B. 10/11/90) of Dorchester was arraigned on a murder charge this afternoon in Dorchester Municipal Court following his arrest this morning by Boston Police homicide detectives. Assistant District Attorney Ian Polumbaum recommended that he be held without bail; Judge James Coffey granted that request.

Prosecutors say Watson acted in concert with at least two other men to ambush, shoot, and kill McCubbin, 25, on Havelock Street at about 1:45 a.m. on Dec. 14. His co-defendants, OMAR BONNER (D.O.B. 8/2/87) of Hyde Park and OMAR DENTON (D.O.B. 5/9/84) of Milton, were arrested shortly after the shooting and are likewise held without bail.

The investigation into McCubbin’s homicide remains very active, Conley said, and anyone with information on his slaying or any other is urged to contact Boston Police homicide detectives at 617-343-4470.

“The public will always be our most effective partner in investigating, solving, and prosecuting violent crime,” Conley said.

Watson is represented by attorney Brian Kelly. He will return to court on Feb. 27.

A statement from Conley's office- Dec. 16, 2013:

Suffolk County District Attorney's Office > Press Office > Press Releases > Press Releases 2013 > Two Men, Both with Prior Gun Convictions, Held in Weekend Homicide Two Men, Both with Prior Gun Convictions, Held in Weekend Homicide
BOSTON, Dec. 16, 2013—Two men, both with prior gun convictions, were held without bail at their arraignment today for the shooting death this weekend of 25-year-old Romeo McCubbin in Mattapan, Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said.

OMAR BONNER (D.O.B. 8/2/87) of Hyde Park and OMAR DENTON (D.O.B. 5/9/84) of Milton was arraigned on charges of murder, unlawful possession of a firearm as a second or subsequent offense, and resisting arrest.

Assistant District Attorney Ian Polumbaum. Told the court that McCubbin was “essentially ambushed” in a vehicle on Havelock Street at about 1:45 Saturday morning and ended up on the sidewalk just outside the car. Both defendants allegedly approached him with firearms. One of them shot him repeatedly at close range and the other kicked him in the head, Polumbaum said.

Both assailants fled the area but were seen driving away at a high rate of speed by a Boston Police detective who heard the gunshots and followed them. When they got to Bonner’s family’s home on Wood Avenue, they allegedly saw the detective and ran. Both men allegedly discarded firearms as they fled.

Bonner fought with police but was taken into custody. The firearm he allegedly tossed was a .380. Denton attempted to hide under a car but was also apprehended. The firearm he allegedly tossed was a .25.

Both men’s clothing was consistent with investigators’ information about the suspects at the scene, Polumbaum said. Bonner’s handgun was test-fired and found to be the source of shell casings found in the immediate area of McCubbin’s body, he added.

Bonner and Denton both pleaded guilty in 2011 to separate firearms possession charges, with Bonner receiving a two-year sentence and Denton receiving two-and-a-half years. Both men additionally received probationary sentences that began upon their release. Denton was acquitted of first-degree murder after two trials in the 2004 shooting death of 19-year-old Cedric Phillips on West Selden Street. In that case, prosecutors alleged that Denton was beating a woman when Phillips and another man passed by in a car, saw what was happening, and intervened on the woman’s behalf. Phillips was shot in the head during the altercation that followed and died of his injury.

Bonner was represented by attorney John Tardif. Denton was represented by attorney Timothy Bradl. Both will return to court on Jan. 14.

Copies of the indictments have been added below.