BOSTON, Dec. 15, 2014— A Suffolk Superior Court jury today convicted Roosevelt Harris’ killer of first-degree murder, rejecting his claim that he was so mentally ill that he was not criminally responsible for beating the 50-year-old to death with a baseball bat, Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said.

Shortly after the jury’s verdict, Judge Peter Muse sentenced CRISTIAN RODRIGUEZ (D.O.B. 7/19/76) to life in prison without the possibility of parole, the mandatory sentence for murder one.

During nine days of testimony, Assistant District Attorney Ian Polumbaum of the DA’s Homicide Unit proved that Rodriguez and Harris lived in adjacent rooms in a Tremont Street residence and had a history of arguments over issues including money and food missing from the home’s shared kitchen.  The arguments escalated to violence in late 2011, when Rodriguez punched Harris in the face when the victim accused him of stealing food.

On the night of Feb. 9, 2012, the evidence showed, other tenants in the residence heard a series of loud bumps; one resident also heard a voice call out and identified the voice as Harris’.  When he rushed to Harris’ room, he found Harris lying on his back with severe trauma to his head and face.

Witnesses saw Rodriguez running from the building and discarding a metal baseball bat in a trash can on the street. The trash can’s contents were transported to a waste disposal facility the next morning, however, and incinerated before Boston Police could retrieve them – but one of the waste disposal employees recalled seeing the bat and noticed brownish stains on its surface.

Rodriguez was apprehended in Bedford in the early hours of Feb. 10 after he attempted to steal a car.  Boston Police homicide detectives seized the clothing he was wearing and tested it, revealing Harris’ DNA on the clothing, the evidence showed.

Prior to imposing the sentence, Harris’ partner of 17 years and four of his siblings delivered impact statements.

“If I could change places with my brother, I would in a heartbeat,” Harris’ brother told the court in an emotional impact statement. “He didn’t deserve that,”

Katherine Moran was the DA’s assigned victim-witness advocate.  Rodriguez was represented by Aviva Jeruchim.

–30–

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