Murder Trial Begins in Jamaica Plain Shotgun Slaying

[Editor's note: The following is a press release from the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office]

The man charged with murdering 32-year-old Shoughan Morgan argued with him, left the scene, returned with a shotgun, and fired it into his torso, killing him, a Suffolk County prosecutor said during opening statements in the man’s murder trial today.

Gregorio "Mikey" Lopez, 18 at the time of Morgan's death, of Dorchester is charged with first-degree murder and unlawful possession of a firearm for the 2009 incident at Lopez’ girlfriend’s Jamaica Plain home. That woman was Morgan’s ex-girlfriend. 

“You’re going to hear, ladies and gentlemen, that on that morning, March 11, 2009, the defendant seated right here…went out and got a shotgun, came back to 43 Mozart Street, and shot Shoughan Morgan,” Assistant District Attorney David Fredette told the court. “Mr. Morgan was unarmed. This attack was unprovoked. This attack was unjustified. This attack was murder.”

Fredette said that at about 1:30 on the morning of the shooting, Morgan went to his former girlfriend’s apartment. The two had dated for several years, and Morgan was let into the apartment by someone who lived there. The woman “had started a new relationship with the defendant, Mr. Lopez,” Fredette said, but “unfortunately, Mr. Morgan … didn’t know that Mr. Lopez was there.”

When Morgan went into his former girlfriend’s bedroom, he found the defendant, “lying in bed with no clothes on.” A verbal altercation followed, Fredette said.

“Keep that in mind throughout this trial: a verbal altercation. There was no physical altercation. Mr. Morgan never struck Mr. Lopez in any way.”

The woman took Morgan out to the hallway landing outside of the apartment to have a conversation with him, Fredette said.

“There was no hitting, no yelling, there was no arguing,” the prosecutor continued. “They were having a conversation and, for whatever reason, Mr. Lopez didn’t like that.”

It was while the victim and the woman were talking outside of the apartment that Lopez proceeded to use her cell phone to make “a flurry of phone calls,” Fredette said.

“And I suggest to you that the evidence is going to show that Mr. Lopez was looking to get a gun, so that he could get that gun and take care of Mr. Morgan,” Fredette said. “And that’s exactly what he did.”

Fredette said Lopez called someone and asked for a ride to pick up a weapon. That request was denied. Lopez then left the apartment through the back door, and within 15 to 20 minutes returned with a shotgun, the prosecutor said.

“The defendant walked right down that hallway with a shotgun in his hand, looked through the peephole, opened that front door and shot Mr. Morgan …. It was the defendant who had a gun. Nobody else had a weapon that morning.”

Catherine Rodriguez is the DA’s assigned victim-witness advocate. Lopez is represented by attorney Bruce Carroll. Prosecution testimony is ongoing before Judge Patrick Brady in courtroom 815 of Suffolk Superior Court.