BOSTON, Dec. 5, 2018—A Suffolk Superior Court jury has found two men guilty of murdering 17-year-old Yanuel Viloria in the stairwell of a Ruggles Street apartment building last year, District Attorney John P. Pappas said.

On their fifth day of deliberations, jurors this afternoon convicted MALIK PHILLIPS, 20, of first-degree murder and ROBERT SILVA-PRENTICE, 21, of second-degree murder. Both face life sentences at a hearing next month. Under Massachusetts law, Phillips will not be eligible for parole, while Silva-Prentice will be eligible after a period of at least 15 years to be determined by the court.

“Yanuel Viloria had no part in the conflict that claimed his life,” Pappas said. “He was targeted for where he was, not who he was or anything he did. I only hope his loved ones can take some satisfaction in knowing that jurors scrutinized the evidence over five days and delivered justice on his behalf. And I hope they take some comfort in knowing that members of the community were critically important to helping us solve and prove his case.”

During about two weeks of trial, Assistant District Attorney Tara Burdman of the DA’s Homicide Unit and Teresa Anderson of the DA’s Gang Unit introduced evidence and testimony proving that Phillips and Silva-Prentice were among a group that entered 180 Ruggles St. at about 9:00 pm on April 21, 2017. They encountered Viloria, who was sitting on the stairs inside.

Video footage from within the building shows Phillips holding an object believed to be a firearm just before the shooting – which took place outside the camera’s view – and placing it into his clothing afterward as the group flees the building. Viloria was killed by shots from at least two firearms; prosecutors argued at trial that Phillips fired one of them and that Silva-Prentice shared his intent.

The investigation that followed led to the defendants’ arrests about a week after the homicide and continued in the Suffolk County Grand Jury. The grand jury returned indictments charging both with first-degree murder about two months later.

Anite Cetoute was the DA’s assigned victim-witness advocate. Phillips was represented by attorney Michael Roitman and Silva-Prentice by attorney Jeff Miller. Sentencing is scheduled for 9:00 am on Jan. 2 before Judge Mitchell Kaplan in courtroom 907.

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