Kenny Lamour | Homicide Watch Boston

Two indicted in February shooting death of Kenny Lamour

Isaac Feldberg — Thu, 02 Apr 2015 17:16:56 -0400

A grand jury indicted Donte Henley, 24, and Josiah Zachery, 18, for first-degree murder in the February death of 21-year-old Kenneth Lamour, who was shot in the head as he shoveled snow with a non-profit work crew in Jamaica Plain.

The Suffolk County grand jury also indicted Zachery for armed assault with intent to murder and unlawful possession of a firearm for allegedly firing at a Boston Police officer while fleeing the scene, according to a press release from the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office.

Henley, of South Boston, was working alongside Lamour, a Roslindale resident, on the morning of February 11, as a member of a work crew organized by Roca Inc, when he allegedly contacted Zachery, of Hyde Park, by text to orchestrate Lamour's murder.

Prosecutors allege that Zachery, carrying a large-caliber handgun Henley had told him to bring, approached Lamour as he was shoveling snow on Centre Street, raising the weapon and fatally shooting Lamour in the head. Zachery has never been involved with Roca, according to the organization.

Attempting to flee, Zachery encountered a Boston police officer who had stopped his car after hearing gunshots.

According to Suffolk Assistant District Attorney Ian Polumbaum, the officer took cover behind his vehicle after Zachery pointed the gun at him and then gave chase as the suspect ran.

Zachery, pointing the gun behind him, fired at least two shots, missing the officer both times. Cutting down a side-street, Zachery disposed of his black jacket and returned to Centre Street, carrying a black-and-yellow shovel stolen from the house where he had left both the jacket and a trail of footprints. When police followed the tracks and apprehended him, Zachery claimed he had been using the shovel to clear snow in multiple neighborhoods, according to the Boston Globe. Police later recovered the handgun from the roof of a neighboring garage.

Henley, who has a criminal record and has been jailed in the past, was arrested approximately two weeks into the investigation, after detectives uncovered a series of calls and text messages between him and Zachery.

One message read, "It's me or him and I'm not going," according to the Boston Globe.

"Mr. Henley essentially called in the hit," Polumbaum said, telling Zachery to bring a gun and describing the clothes Lamour was wearing.

Though he did not pull the trigger, Henley can be charged with first-degree murder alongside Zachery under the theory of joint venture.

Superior Court arraignments have not yet been scheduled for the pair, who are currently being held without bail.

Second suspect held in Kenny Lamour's death

Miharu Sugie — Sat, 28 Feb 2015 21:42:59 -0500

Donte Henley was arraigned in West Roxbury Municipal Court Friday for the alleged murder of Kenny Lamour. He is being held without bail.

The Boston Police Department's Fugitive Apprehension Unit arrested Henley on Thursday, at his home in South Boston. He is the second suspect arrested in Lamour's death.

Lamour, 21, was shoveling snow on Centre Street on February 11 when he was shot. Josiah Zachery, 18, was arrested the same day.

The work crew was part of Roca, a nonprofit organization that helps young people involved in incarceration, poverty and violence to rebuild their lives through service work.

The Boston Globe reported that Henley was in the same work crew as Lamour. Zachery was not a Roca member. According to Assistant District Attorney Ian Polumbaum, Henley allegedly contacted Zachery and asked him to come to Centre Street with a gun. Later, Zachery shot Lamour to death at the scene and fled from the Boston Police, prosecutors said.

According to the Globe:

Lamour had been prosecuted in the past, most recently pleading guilty to threatening to shoot a woman who honked her car horn at him.

He also served time in prison after pleading guilty to a 2011 charge that he stomped on a Department of Youth Services worker, injuring him seriously. He also pleaded guilty in 2013 to assault and battery charges.

According to the Suffolk District Attorney's Office, Henley will appear in court on April 9.

The Suffolk District Attorney's Office's full press release is below:

BOSTON, Feb. 27, 2015—The second defendant charged in the shooting death of 21-year-old Kenny Lamour was ordered held without bail at his arraignment today, Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said today.

DONTE HENLEY (D.O.B. 5/18/90) of South Boston was arraigned in West Roxbury Municipal Court on a murder charge stemming from the Feb. 11 homicide. As the request of Assistant District Attorney Ian Polumbaum, Judge David Breen ordered Henley held without bail.

Polumbaum told the court that Henley was working on a snow-shoveling crew with Lamour that morning in the area of 891 Centre St. Henley allegedly called and texted his co-defendant, JOSIAH ZACHERY (D.O.B. 7/13/96), telling him to come to the work site and bring a gun. Henley allegedly relayed Lamour’s location and clothing to Zachery.

“Mr. Henley called in the hit,” Polumbaum told the court.

As a result, prosecutors say, Zachery travelled to the area armed with a loaded handgun, approached Lamour, and shot him to death. Zachery fled the scene on foot, firing at a Boston Police officer who gave chase.

Additional Boston Police officers apprehended Zachery a short distance away. A search of the area led to their recovery of a handgun believed to be the murder weapon along his path of flight.

“The investigation didn’t end there,” Conley said. “Text messages, cell tower records, and other evidence carried it forward, and it will continue until all the facts are assembled.”

Boston Police arrested Henley yesterday at his South Boston home on a warrant approved by Suffolk prosecutors amid the ongoing probe. He was represented by attorney James Budreau and will return to court on April 9.

Man shot, killed in Jamaica Plain; Suspect in Custody

Freda Spencer — Wed, 11 Feb 2015 23:20:22 -0500

A man in his 20s was fatally shot at 891 Centre Street around 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, according to police. The man, who police have not yet identified, was pronounced dead on the scene.

Josiah Zachery, 18, of Hyde Park, was arrested on suspicion of murder, police said in a statement.

According to Boston Police, an officer on patrol in the area heard shots fired and pursued a man and a woman fleeing the scene. At least one of the suspects fired at, but did not hit the officer before both were taken into custody.

Details surrounding the incident are under investigation, including the suspects' possible association with a van belonging to Roca, a non-profit program that seeks to keep young people out of jail, Police Commissioner William Evans told the Boston Globe.

BPD's original press release is below:

At about 10:35 AM on Wednesday, February 11, 2015, while on patrol an officer from District E-13 (Jamaica Plain) heard shots fired and observed a person shot in the area of 891 Centre Street. Officers pursued two individuals on foot and a firearm was pointed at the officers by at least one of the individuals as they fled the scene. Officers continued pursuit without regard for their own safety and were able to detain two individuals a short distance from the scene. Officers located a male in his twenties suffering from gunshot wounds. The victim was pronounced deceased at the scene.

After further investigation, one of the individuals initially detained, 18-year-old Josiah Zachery of Hyde Park, was arrested and charged with the homicide. A firearm was also recovered during the investigation. Zachery is charged with Murder, Unlawful Possession of a Firearm, and Assault by Means of a Dangerous Weapon on a Police Officer.

“The officer who was fired upon showed tremendous restraint and courage when chasing an armed assailant,” said Commissioner Evans. “The actions of all my officers today, along with the cooperation from the community, ensured that a dangerous individual and a gun are off the streets.”

The Boston Police Homicide Unit continues to actively investigating the facts and circumstances surrounding this incident. Anyone with information is asked to call Boston Police Homicide Detectives directly at (617) 343-4470.

Community members wishing to assist this investigation anonymously can do so by calling the CrimeStoppers Tip Line at 1 (800) 494-TIPS or by texting the word ‘TIP’ to CRIME (27463). The Boston Police Department will stringently guard and protect the identities of all those who wish to help this investigation in an anonymous manner.