Seven adults and two juveniles were arraigned today for a “shocking” group attack on a developmentally disabled teen on Parkman Street in Dorchester yesterday, Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said.
Arraigned in Dorchester District Court today were:
TREVON CAMPBELL (DOB 12/30/92) of Dorchester, represented by attorney Jose Vincenty;
JOHNNY CLARK, Jr. (DOB 2/22/90) of Dorchester, represented by attorney Steven Murphy;
DILLON COPELAND (DOB 12/21/92) of Dorchester, represented by attorney Joseph Perullo;
MARKEES FINKLEA-SONLYEN (DOB 9/23/92) of Dorchester, represented by attorney Darryl Malden;
STEPHEN GOSS, Jr. (DOB 3/15/92) of Dorchester, represented by attorney Christopher Dolan;
ALDANE HALL (DOB 10/6/88) of Dorchester, represented by attorney Andrea McGeehan; and
JAHSIA SOLOMON (DOB 9/23/92) of Roxbury, represented by attorney Tamari Kovach.
Arraigned in the juvenile session of the same courthouse were:
A 15-YEAR-OLD MALE from Dorchester, represented by attorney Robert Constantino; and
A 16-YEAR-OLD MALE from Dorchester, represented by attorney Jennifer Almeida-Burns.
All of the defendants were charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon – a shod foot – and Ch. 265, Sect. 13F, of the Massachusetts General Laws, which allows for enhanced penalties of up to five years in prison for assault and battery upon a mentally retarded person.
Suffolk prosecutors recommended that each defendant be held on $1,000 cash bail with orders to stay away from the victim, the other defendants, and the area of the attack. The adult defendants and the 16-year-old juvenile were held on $500 cash bail each, the 15-year-old was released to his mother’s custody, and the stay away orders were imposed by the court for all nine.
Shortly before 5:00 yesterday afternoon, Boston Police responded to a radio call for a fight in progress in the area of Parkman Street in Dorchester. On arrival, officers were flagged down by the 19-year-old male victim and an independent witness.
The victim stated that the group had jumped him, that he was hurt, and that he needed an ice pack. The witness corroborated that account, telling officers that he heard screams and saw the victim lying on the ground as a large group of males kicked and punched him.
As they spoke with the victim, officers observed that he may have been developmentally disabled. The victim confirmed this, stating that he was “challenged.”
“A crime like this just shocks the conscience,” Conley said. “It’s obscene. The witness should be commended for stepping up and doing the right thing to stop a mob attack, and Boston Police deserve praise for responding so rapidly and so compassionately”
Additional officers soon located a group of males down the street who met the general description of the assailants. They were positively identified as the adults and juveniles who had beaten the victim, and officers took them into custody.
The adult defendants will return to court on June 3. The juvenile defendants will return on May 24.
