$10k Bail in Back Bay Motor Vehicle Homicides

BOSTON, Aug. 18, 2014—The man whom prosecutors say was behind the wheel when his Ford Explorer struck and killed Jessica Campbell and John Lanzillotti was held on high bail at his arraignment in Suffolk Superior Court this morning, Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said.

MOHAMED ALFAGEEH (D.O.B. 8/15/84), who surrendered himself on a warrant this morning after his indictment late last week, was held on the $10,000 cash bail requested by Assistant District Attorney Gregory Henning. He is charged with two counts of motor vehicle homicide and one count of negligent operation of a motor vehicle.

Henning told the court that Campbell, 27, and Lanzillotti, 28, were together at the intersection of Beacon and Fairfield streets shortly after 9:00 p.m. on June 21. He said Alfageeh was travelling westbound on Beacon when the light at Fairfield turned red. Alfageeh allegedly continued through the red light, struck the front end of another vehicle in the intersection, spun through the intersection, and came to rest on its roof after hitting two parked cars.

Both Campbell and Lanzillotti were struck by the Explorer as it skidded through the crosswalk, suffering injuries that claimed both their lives.

Boston Police detectives and crash reconstruction experts immediately began investigating the collision to determine the facts of the collision and the identity of the driver. In light of conflicting witness statements on that latter point, the case was presented to the Suffolk County Grand Jury, which has the power to compel testimony and subpoena medical records, surveillance footage, and other evidence. The grand jury returned its indictments Thursday.

Alfageeh was ordered to surrender his passport while the case is pending. He will return to court on Sept. 22 for a pre-trial conference with attorney John Seed. Katherine Moran is the DA’s assigned victim-witness advocate.

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All defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.