Crime & Safety

Second Arrest Made in Stabbing Death of Jamaica Plain's Kenny Soto

Police arrested a Roxbury man and charged him with accessory to murder after the fact and assault and battery. Kenny "Black" Soto was stabbed to death outside the 7-Eleven in October.

Police have made a second arrest in a deadly knife attack outside that shocked the neighborhood.

In the early morning of Oct. 19, 2011, police found 19-year-old Kenneth Soto outside the 451 Centre St. convenience store. Kenny "Black" Soto, as he was known to friends, was remembered as a who had been active in the Hyde Square Task Force.

On Monday, police arrested Hector "Nemo" Soto, 20, of Roslindale and charged him with murder. He is not related to the victim, police say. Then on Tuesday there was another arrest in the case. Chris Rivera, 23, of Roxbury, was arrested and charged with accessory to murder after the fact and assault and battery. Rivera was arrested at 1587 Hyde Park Ave.

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Police did not say what might have motivated the slaying.

Here's how the killing took place, according to prosecutors. Kenny Soto and Hector Soto arrived in the parking lot of the 7-Eleven with separate groups. They'd come in separate vehicles. Kenny Soto went into the store and Hector Soto confronted him and fought with him, stabbing him in the process, Assistant District Attorney Mark Lee told the court at the arraignment for Hector Soto. The assailant and his friends left in a vehicle.

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Prosecutors say they issued a warrant for Hector Soto's arrest based on surveillance footage and evidence from witnesses and forensics.

Though the suspect and victim weren't related, they did know each other. Boston City Councilor Felix Arroyo said he coached both young men in the Regan League. He brought up the irony of him knowing both of them during at a City Council debate about a .

"This is someone I know," said Arroyo of Hector Soto. "If he’s guilty of this crime he needs to be put away."


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