Crime & Safety

MEDIA ROUNDUP: Gang Member Pleads Guilty in Killing of Jamaica Plain 13-Year-Old

A judge sentenced Darrell Rodrigues was to 14 to 15 years in prison in the slaying of 13-year-old Luis Gerena Jr. in 2007.

A gang member who took part in killing a 13-year-old who happened to live on Heath Street, yet had no gang ties, pleaded guilty to manslaughter today, according to the Globe.

Luis Gerena was walking home from the Jackson Square T on Jan. 12, 2007 when he was shot five times at the nearby basketball courts. According to prosecutors, Academy Homes gang members Darrell Rodrigues, then 16, and Nurudeen Alabi, 17 at the time, targeted him because they mistakenly thought he was part of a Heath Street crew.

“This defendant, Darell Rodrigues, and his best friend from the Academy Homes Development, Nurudeen Alabi, started to make decisions. Conscious and deliberate decisions to rob and shoot the first kid that they saw that resembled in any way a Heath Street kid,” said Assistant District Attorney Mark Hallal during opening statements, according to the Boston Herald.

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It was the first day of testimony in the trial of Rodrigues. But after the first witness had already testified, Rodrigues changed his plea to guilty, the Globe said. Superior Court Judge Judith Fabricant sentenced Rodrigues to serve 14 to 15 years in state prison followed by five years of probation, according to the Suffolk County District Attorney's office. In addition to voluntary manslaughter, Rodrigues also pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of a firearm, assault and battery on a witness in the case and intimidation of a witness. He must also have no contact with Gerena's family and finish his GED.

In court, Gerena’s mother, Wendy Jiminian, gave a family impact statement.

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“It was very painful,” she said. “He was only 13. He didn’t deserve to die. I miss him so much. Words cannot express how I feel …. At least we’ll feel some closure. At least I can go home and tell my other kids justice was served.”

Alabi, 21, who prosecutors say fired the actual shots, will be tried later.


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