BOSTON, March 5, 2014—The Dorchester man accused of shooting 36-year-old Rashaad O’Neill to death on Christmas morning was ordered held without bail at his arraignment today, District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said.

IAN HOLNESS (D.O.B. 9/24/86) was arraigned in Dorchester District Court this morning on a charge of murder, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, unlawful possession of a firearm, and unlawful possession of ammunition.  Judge Serge Georges granted a request by Assistant District Attorney Lynn Feigenbaum that Holness be held without bail.

According to prosecutors, O’Neill spent the evening of Dec. 24 with friends at a concert at a Talbot Avenue auditorium.  Holness also attended the concert with a separate group of friends.

After the concert ended, the victim and the defendant each attended a party at a home on nearby Wales Street.  It was in the basement of that home that prosecutors say Holness approached the victim and shot him in the back of the head, mortally wounding the Randolph man.

Holness then ran up the basement stairs along with numerous other people who attempted to flee after the shots were fired.  One witness attempted to stop Holness as he fled, and Holness pointed his gun at the witness before exiting the house, prosecutors said.

Prior to the arrival of police, a group of women who were near the victim at the time of the shooting were driving away from the area when they were fired upon by a person inside a dark sedan on Talbot Avenue.  One of the passengers was struck in the hand, and the women drove directly to Carney Hospital.

Near the area where the women were fired upon, Boston Police discovered a severely damaged 2002 Jaguar belonging to Holness.  The vehicle was towed from the scene as part of the investigation. Later that morning, prosecutors said, Holness walked into the Area B-3 police station in search of his car. Officers told him it had been towed.

Boston Police recovered two spent shell casings from inside Holness’ vehicle, one at the scene of O’Neill’s murder, and another near the Talbot Avenue shooting scene. Boston Police criminalists determined that all four had been fired from the same gun, prosecutors said.

Holness is represented by attorney Skip Hakala.  He will return to court on April 8.

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