Three More Charged in Unrelated Chelsea Shooting This Week
BOSTON, April 18, 2014—An alleged accessory to the 2013 murder of Elder Morales in Chelsea was held on high bail following his indictment, and three more defendants have been charged for their roles in an unrelated non-fatal shooting in Chelsea this week, Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said.
ARMANDO LOPEZ (D.O.B. 12/4/84) was arraigned yesterday in Suffolk Superior Court as an accessory after the fact to Morales’ March 5, 2013, homicide. He is also charged two counts of unlawful possession of a firearm and one count of unlawful possession of ammunition, also in connection with Morales’ shooting death. Lopez had been held on $25,000 bail since his February arraignment on the firearm charges in Chelsea District Court; yesterday, Suffolk Superior Court Clerk Magistrate Connie Wong raised Lopez’s bail to $40,000.
Prosecutors told the court that Lopez knew his fellow gang associate, JONATHAN CASTRO (D.O.B. 7/30/90) of Chelsea, was accused of shooting Morales to death, yet agreed to help conceal Castro’s gun and clothing after the homicide. Castro was able to dispose of the items prior to his arrest and, while held without bail on a murder charge, coordinated with Lopez to have the items retrieved and brought to Lopez’s home, prosecutors said.
A search warrant executed at Lopez’s home by Chelsea and State police detectives did not recover the murder weapon – it did, however, yield a different revolver loaded with five rounds of ammunition, prosecutors said.
Lopez is the fourth man charged in connection with Morales’ murder. ERICK ROMERO (D.O.B. 7/2/98) of Chelsea is charged in Chelsea Juvenile Court with manslaughter and two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon. Though he is a juvenile, prosecutors indicted Romero as a youthful offender, making the case public and exposing him to the same penalties as an adult if convicted. ELDER PORTILLO (D.O.B. 8/1/94) is charged with second-degree murder and two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon. All four arrests were made by Chelsea Police and the Suffolk County State Police Detective Unit.
Also yesterday, Suffolk prosecutors arraigned two men and a woman in Chelsea District Court after Chelsea police arrested them Wednesday night for their roles in a shooting that left an 18-year-old injured.
RAFAEL LEONER-AGUIRRE (D.O.B. 9/8/95) of Chelsea was arraigned on charges of armed assault with intent to murder, unlawful possession of a firearm, unlawful possession of ammunition, carrying a loaded firearm, and three counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon. KEVIN AYALA (D.O.B. 1/18/94) of Chelsea was charged with misleading a police officer and two counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon. VIKY MARTINIZ-CHACON (D.O.B. 9/12/90) of Pontiac, Michigan, was arraigned on a charge of misleading a police officer.
Assistant District Attorney Myriam Feliz requested bail for Leoner-Aguirre of $100,000; $50,000 for Ayala; and $10,000 for Martinez-Chacon. She also requested that each defendant be ordered to wear a GPS monitor, remain in Massachusetts, and stay away and have no contact with the victims and witnesses in the event they are released on bail. Judge Michael Nestor set Leoner-Aguirre’s bail at $25,000; $2,500 for Ayala; and released Martinez-Chacon on her own recognizance. He ordered each of the defendants to have no contact with the victims and witnesses.
According to prosecutors, Leoner-Aguirre and Ayala were among a group of several males who attacked two 17- and 18-year-old men in the area of Broadway and Cary Street shortly after 7:00 p.m. Wednesday. During that altercation, Leoner-Aguirre allegedly pulled out a gun and shot the older victim in the left hip and the group fled, prosecutors said.
Chelsea Police received a description of the vehicle in which men fled and learned that the shooter was wearing all white. Officers quickly spotted the vehicle as Leoner-Aguirre, dressed in all white, exited in the area of Bellingham Street and Eastern Avenue. He was taken into custody. The victim was transported to Massachusetts General Hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening.
Inside Leoner-Aguirre’s backpack, police discovered a Beretta .380 caliber semiautomatic handgun that was warm to the touch, prosecutors said. The gun was cocked but had no ammunition in the clip; an unspent .380 caliber round was found on the ground near where he was taken into custody.
Ayala and Martinez-Chacon were both present in the vehicle when it was stopped by police and made inconsistent statements to police that prosecutors allege were intended to stymie the investigation into the shooting.
As with many cases of violent crime in Chelsea, Chelsea Police detectives are working with State Police detectives assigned to the Suffolk DA’s office to gather additional facts and evidence in the Broadway shooting. Anyone with further information on that incident may contact Chelsea Police detectives at 617-466-4843 or the Suffolk County State Police Detective Unit at 617-727-8817. Tipsters who wish to remain anonymous may also call the Chelsea Police CrimeStoppers tip line at 617-466-4880, text the word CHELSEA and their information to TIP411 (847411), or submit information online at www.ChelseaPolice.com.
Leoner-Aguirre was represented for bail purposes by attorney Fritz Pluviose. Ayala and Martinez-Chacon were each represented by the Committee for Public Counsel Services. They will return to court May 12. Lopez is represented by attorney Raylene Wentz. He returns to court May 30.
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All defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
