BOSTON, April 9, 2018—Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley’s office will appeal a judge’s decision today overturning a jury’s verdict last week in the murder of 26-year-old Chaz Burton, who was stomped, beaten, and shot to death after a party in 2016.

Two men, ABDULLAH YASIN and FABIAN LLANO, went to trial last month on indictments charging both men with first-degree murder and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon in connection with Burton’s homicide. After two weeks of trial and four days of deliberations, jurors on March 26 convicted Yasin of second-degree murder as well as assault and battery with a dangerous weapon for stomping repeatedly on Burton’s head. The jury acquitted Llano of the homicide charges but also convicted him of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon for stomping on Burton’s head.

Suffolk Superior Court Judge Janet Sanders’ decision to vacate Yasin’s murder conviction undoes what prosecutors say was a careful assessment and a nuanced interpretation of the evidence, testimony, and legal theories presented at trial.

“A discerning jury of the defendant’s peers reached a verdict that showed careful consideration of each and every charge,” Conley said. “This was not a decision reached in haste or based on sympathy with the victim. It shows clear consideration of the evidence.”

Prosecutors recommended a term of five to six years in state prison for Yasin. For Llano, they recommended five years in prison followed by three years of probation on an additional conviction for misleading an investigator. Sanders imposed sentences of two and a half years in a house of correction for both men. A probation officer who addressed the court said the sentencing guidelines called for between 40 and 60 months of incarceration.

During the course of the trial, Assistant District Attorneys Tara Burdman, Michael Glennon, and Houston Armstrong presented evidence and testimony that Burton attended a party at a River Street residence during the early morning hours of March 27, 2016, but left with a group of acquaintances after becoming involved in a verbal altercation with two individuals acquainted with Yasin and Llano.

After leaving the party, however, Burton again encountered those individuals outside and the two groups became involved in a physical altercation. During the incident, a group that included Yasin and Llano spilled out of the party and joined in the fracas. Burton attempted to flee but was pursued by the group as he ran inside the building where the party was held, the evidence showed.

The assault on Burton continued inside the building, where, the evidence proved, Llano threw a metal stand that struck the victim. Burton was shot during the assault and attempted to run for an exit before collapsing. A security camera inside the building captured Yasin and Llano stomp on Burton’s head as he lay mortally wounded.

Llano later made misleading statements to members of the Boston Police Department who were investigating Burton’s murder.

Yasin and Llano were among nine defendants charged in the fatal assault. BENJAMIN TATE, 25, faces trial at a later date on a charge of first-degree murder.

DEBORAH TATE, 43; LASHON TATE, 26; GEORGE TATE, 24; MICHAEL TATE, 30; and DWAYNE JOSEPH, 30, are each charged with lesser offenses for their roles in the assault and its aftermath and are scheduled for trials to be held later this year. STEPHON TATE, 54, previously pleaded guilty.

Elise McConnell was the DA’s assigned victim-witness advocate. Yasin was represented by James Sultan and Llano by Liam Scully.

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