BOSTON, Aug. 25, 2013—The principal defendant in the 2009 murders of Shacora Gaines, Chantal Palmer, and Anthony Peoples is expected to face arraignment tomorrow after his rendition to the United States late last week, Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said.

KERON PIERRE (D.O.B. 11/26/85), formerly of Mattapan, fled Massachusetts days after the March 29, 2009, shootings on Mt. Ida Road in Dorchester. He was identified as a suspect in December 2009, was indicted in January 2010, and was arrested in Trinidad on unrelated charges several months later. He remained in custody since that time, challenging extradition proceedings to avoid facing trial. He recently abandoned those efforts, however, and US Marshals on Friday escorted him from Trinidad to Boston’s Logan Airport, where Boston Police placed him under arrest.

The Suffolk County Grand Jury indicted Pierre on three counts of first-degree murder, one count of armed assault with intent to murder, and firearms offenses for allegedly shooting into the car in which the victims were seated after attending a party to raise funds for a community event. Gaines and Palmer, both 20 and from Brockton, suffered mortal injuries, as did Peoples, who was 19 and from Boston. A fourth victim was inside the car but was not injured.

Investigators believe that Pierre and the victims spoke outside the party in the early morning hours of March 29, 2009, and that the conversation escalated into a heated verbal exchange. That altercation, investigators say, led Pierre to open fire on the victims as they sat in the car.

Conley thanked Boston Police homicide detectives and the US Department of Justice, which led the diplomatic effort to ensure Pierre’s return to face justice in the city where he allegedly took three lives.

“Police, prosecutors, diplomats, and others worked for years to achieve this result,” Conley said. “Three families placed their trust in us to see their loved ones’ killer held accountable. Today we’re one step closer to that goal, and today this defendant knows what others have already learned: we will find you wherever you run. And we will not rest until justice is done.”

Another defendant, NIGEL A. NICHOLS (D.O.B. 11/5/85) of Brockton, is in custody as an accessory after the fact to the Mt. Ida Road murders. Prosecutors say he drove Pierre from the scene in the aftermath of the shootings.

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