Brianna Jashea Bigby | Homicide Watch Boston

Second suspect charged in 2013 shooting death of Brianna Bigby

Megan McKee — Tue, 19 May 2015 19:26:13 -0400

Almost two years after 23-year-old Brianna J. Bigby was gunned down in a double shooting while sitting in a car on a Saturday afternoon in Roxbury, a second suspect was arraigned for her murder.

Brianna J. Bigby

Rasheem Christian, 24, pleaded innocent Tuesday to first-degree murder for the June 1, 2013, shooting that left Bigby dead at the scene and her 23-year-old companion wounded but alive. The pair were sitting in a sedan near 310 Walnut Avenue in Roxbury, according to the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office.

Christian was held without bail and is due in court June 25, said Jake Wark, a spokesman for the district attorney.

In addition to murder, Christian is charged with armed assault with intent to murder, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, accessory after the fact to murder, and firearms charges, Wark said.

Christian is the second person charged in Bigby’s murder. Anthony Howard, 28, has been held without bail since his July 10, 2014, arraignment, when he was charged with first-degree murder, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, and armed assault with intent to murder.

Howard is also charged with two counts of armed assault with intent to murder for allegedly shooting two other men earlier in the day of Bigby's death.

The Boston Globe covered the shooting after it happened. According to family quoted, Bigby held two jobs -- one at a bank and the other at a shelter -- and her companion was a boyfriend.

Bigby's high school, Concord-Carlisle High School, published a retrospective piece detailing her academic achievements and outgoing personality.

Her obituary can be read via the Boston Herald.

The district attorney's office's full press release is below:

Second Suspect in Custody for 2013 Shooting that Left Woman Dead, Man Injured

BOSTON, May 18, 2015—Boston Police Commissioner William B. Evans and Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley today announced that a second man has been arrested following his indictment in connection with the 2013 murder of Brianna Bigby.

A Suffolk County grand jury on May 8 returned indictments charging RASHEEM CHRISTIAN (D.O.B. 1/31/91) with first-degree murder, armed assault with intent to murder, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, accessory after the fact to murder, unlawful possession of a firearm, unlawful possession of ammunition, and carrying a loaded firearm. He is additionally charged as a Level I armed career criminal based on a 2011 conviction in Suffolk Superior Court for distribution of a Class D substance. Boston Police arrested him today after he surrendered himself on a warrant that issued with the indictment.

Christian is expected to be arraigned tomorrow in the Magistrate’s Session of Suffolk Superior Court.

Bigby and a male companion were shot as they sat in a vehicle in the area of 310 Walnut Ave. in Roxbury on the afternoon of June 1, 2013. Since that date, Boston Police homicide detectives and Suffolk prosecutors have conducted an exhaustive investigation that linked Christian and another man, ANTHONY HOWARD (D.O.B. 10/5/86), to the shooting through cell phone records, witness interviews, ballistics, and other evidence.

Howard faces charges of first-degree murder, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, and armed assault with intent to murder as well as two counts of armed assault with intent to murder for allegedly shooting two other men earlier on the day of Bigby’s murder. He is also charged with unlawful possession of a firearm as a second offense in light of a 2006 gun conviction. He has remained held without bail since his Roxbury District Court arraignment on July 10, 2014.

Anthony Howard Charged with 2013 Murder of Brianna Bigby

Kelsey Luing — Thu, 03 Jul 2014 14:18:53 -0400

Authorities have arrested Anthony Howard, 27, in connection with the June 2013 homicide of Brianna J. Bigby. Howard is suspected of shooting Bigby, her boyfriend and two other people during a 10-hour shooting spree.

Around 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, June 1, 2013, Boston police found Bigby in a vehicle near Columbus Avenue and Washington Street in Roxbury. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

Bigby's boyfriend, who had been shot at before, was believed to be the target of the attack. He was also wounded but survived.

A press release from the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office below.

July 3, 2014

Two Charged in Homicides from 2012, 2013

One to Be Arraigned Today, One Already in Custody

(BOSTON) — Boston Police Commissioner William B. Evans and Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley today announced murder charges against two suspects in the unrelated homicides of Orlando Guerrero in 2012 and Brianna Bigby in 2013.

As a result of continued efforts by Boston Police and Suffolk prosecutors, the Suffolk County Grand Jury on Tuesday returned indictments charging LUIS DIAZ (D.O.B. 8/9/84) of Dorchester with first-degree murder, armed robbery, and unlawful possession of a firearm in connection with Guerrero’s Dec. 15, 2012, homicide. A warrant for his arrest issued after the indictments and members of the Boston Police Fugitive Unit apprehended Diaz yesterday; he is expected to be arraigned this morning in Suffolk Superior Court.

Also Tuesday, amid an ongoing investigation, police and prosecutors obtained a Roxbury Municipal Court complaint charging ANTHONY HOWARD (D.O.B. 10/5/86) with murder in connection with Bigby’s June 1, 2013, homicide; aggravated assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, and armed assault with intent to murder for the non-fatal shooting of a 23-year-old man during the same incident; two counts of armed assault with intent to murder for allegedly shooting two other men earlier that same day; and unlawful possession of a firearm as a second offense in light of a 2006 gun conviction for which he served two years behind bars.

“I wish to acknowledge the hard work and commitment of the detectives and prosecutors in each of these cases,” Commissioner Evans said. “May these arrests bring some level of comfort to the victim's families.”

“These arrests reflect our shared policy of thorough investigations in every case,” Conley said. “Police and prosecutors never give up on these cases or the families we work with.”

Guerrero was gunned down just before 11:00 a.m. in the area of 11 Windsor St. in Boston’s South End. Based on information from a tipster, two suspects were identified: one, JOSE CARRASQUILLO (D.O.B. 3/6/71), allegedly made statements to Boston Police detectives acknowledging his role in a plan to rob Guerrero. He was charged with Gurerrero’s murder in March 2013 and that case is pending. The other was Diaz, against whom the continuing investigation developed evidence leading to this week’s indictments.

Bigby and a male companion were shot at about 3:15 p.m. in the area of 310 Walnut Ave. in Roxbury. She died of her injuries and her companion was rushed to Boston Medical Center with injuries that were not life-threatening. In the days, weeks, and months that followed, investigators interviewed witnesses, obtained phone records, and executed search warrants leading to Howard’s identification as a suspect and linked him to a double-shooting earlier that same day in which the victims, ages 21 and 26, did not cooperate with police. That incident took place at about 5:40 a.m. on Humboldt Avenue.

Howard is currently in custody on another firearms charge and is due back in Suffolk Superior Court on that charge on July 8. His arraignment on the murder charge has not yet been scheduled.

Police investigating June killing of Brianna Bigby

Nicholas Jacques — Tue, 14 Jan 2014 19:00:47 -0500

Officials are continuing the investigation into the June 1 shooting death of 23-year-old Brianna Bigby.

Jake Wark, a spokesman for the Suffolk County district attorney's office, said only that the investigation was still open.

Bigby and her boyfriend were shot while in a car on Walnut Avenue in Roxbury, according to a Boston Globe report from the time of the incident.

The Globe reported Bigby's boyfriend sustained serious injuries, but he ultimately survived the attack.

No arrests have been made.