BOSTON, Oct. 9, 2016—Nine people have been indicted by the Suffolk County Grand Jury in connection with the March murder of 26-year-old Chaz Burton, four of whom appeared in court today following their arrests by Boston Police, District Attorney Daniel F. Conley Police Commissioner William B. Evans said.
The grand jury yesterday returned indictments charging three people with Burton’s murder and six others with offenses in connection with the fatal attack and attempts to mislead police investigating the homicide.
Arraigned today in Suffolk Superior Court were:
- BENJAMIN TATE (D.O.B. 3/14/93) who lists addresses in Jamaica Plain and Roxbury, charged with murder, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, and aggravated assault and battery;
- ABDULLAH YASIN (D.O.B. 6/20/93) of Jamaica Plain, charged with murder and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon;
- DEBORAH TATE (D.O.B. 2/11/75) of Chelsea, charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, assault with a dangerous weapon, and misleading police; and
- DWAYNE JOSEPH (D.O.B. 12/23/87) of Roxbury, charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and misleading police.
At the request of Assistant District Attorney Tara Burdman of the DA’s Homicide Unit, Clerk Magistrate Anne Kaczmarek ordered Benjamin Tate and Yasin held without bail. Burdman requested bail of $7,500 for Deborah Tate and Joseph; Kaczmarek set bail at $2,500 for Tate and released Joseph on his own recognizance.
Boston Police located and arrested the four arraigned defendants in the hours following the indictments’ return. They later apprehended two additional defendants, STEPHON TATE (D.O.B. 6/26/63) of Dorchester LASHON TATE (D.O.B. 2/21/92) of Lynn, who are expected to be arraigned tomorrow. Stephon Tate is charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and misleading police, and Lashon Tate is charged with assault and battery and misleading police.
Efforts by Boston Police are currently underway to apprehend three additional defendants:
- FABIAN LLANO (D.O.B. 8/7/90) of Lynn, charged with murder, two counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, and a single count of misleading police;
- GEORGE TATE (D.O.B. 11/22/93), charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and misleading police; and
- MICHAEL TATE (D.O.B. 3/26/88), charged with misleading police.
All of the Tates are cousins, except for Stephon Tate, who is their uncle. The other defendants are family friends.
Burdman told the court that Burton attended a party at 227 River Street during the early morning hours of March 27. He became involved in a verbal exchange with Benjamin Tate and Stephon Tate before leaving the party with a group of acquaintances. Once outside, however, the group encountered Benjamin Tate and Stephon Tate once again and a physical altercation ensued. Other members of the defendants’ party became involved in the melee, some of whom pulled wooden stakes from the ground and used them as weapons, Burdman said.
During the altercation, Benjamin Tate fought with an acquaintance of Burton, punching him in the eye and causing an injury that required surgery, Burdman said.
The victim fled into the building where the party was held and became trapped by the group in a hallway. As the beating continued, Burton was shot twice in the torso and died of his injuries.
Portions of the incident were captured by a security camera inside the building, Burdman said.
As Boston Police homicide detectives and Suffolk prosecutors undertook an extensive investigation to determine the identity of those involved in the fatal assault and the role of each individual, several of the defendants allegedly made untruthful statements to police regarding their presence in the hallway during the assault that are contradicted by witness statements, video and other evidence, Burdman said.
Elise McConnell is the DA’s assigned victim-witness advocate. Benjamin Tate was represented by Janice Bassil, Yanis by James Sultan, Deborah Tate by Aviva Jeruchim, and Johnson by John Swomley. Deborah Tate returns to court tomorrow for a bail review hearing; the remaining co-defendants return to court Jan. 10.
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All defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
