Three men arraigned for Hill homicide

Three men were ordered held without bail in connection to the Mission Hill homicide of Luis Bodden-Maximo, according to a Suffolk County District Attorney’s (DA) Office press release.

Lee Gill of Natick, 24; Jerome Meade of Lynn, 21; and Javier Smith of Roxbury, 19, were arraigned on murder charges in West Roxbury Municipal Court on Oct. 16, exactly a month after the incident. Meade was also arraigned on a count of unlawful possession of a firearm.

The charges are related to Bodden-Maximo’s Sept. 16 shooting death in the parking lot of Stop & Shop at 1620 Tremont St.

Gill had open bail in an unrelated gun case out of Wrentham, which was revoked by Judge Kathleen Coffey based on a recommendation by Assistant District Attorney Craig Iannini of the DA’s Senior Trial Unit.

Iannini also recommended that all three in connection to the homicide be held without bail on the murder charges. That request was also granted by Coffey.

Boston Police homicide detectives arrested Smith and took custody of Gill after his lawyer surrendered him. Meade had already been in custody on a Sept. 25 gun charge.

Iannini told the court that Bodden-Maximo was eating with a friend at a restaurant near the scene when a man later identified as Smith entered, spotted him, and left. Bodden-Maximo apparently recognized him, told his friend that the man was from the H-Block street gang and that they had to leave.

As they were leaving, Iannini said, another man approached Bodden-Maximo and briefly chased him through the parking lot. That man drew a gun and fired at the victim, hitting him multiple times and fleeing the scene on foot.

Bodden-Maximo was rushed to Brigham and Women’s Hospital, where he was pronounced dead of his injuries.

According to witness statements and video evidence from the area, the gunman ran up Calumet Street and abandoned his sweatshirt and .40 caliber semiautomatic handgun along the way. The firearm was later found and analyzed and contained traces of DNA that match Meade’s genetic profile, according to the DA’s Office.

Investigators also say that a red Jeep Cherokee registered to Gill’s mother was seen in the area dropping off Smith immediately before the shooting and traveling in the same direction as Meade fled, up Calumet Street.

Gill allegedly acknowledged that he was using the vehicle that day, according to the DA’s Office.

Meade was arrested on Sept. 24 in connection to a report of shots fired. His arrest led to the recovery of two firearms.

Boston Police Department obtained a search warrant for his phone and found photographs wearing the same clothing that matched the description of the gunman and posing with a .40 caliber handgun similar to the one used in the homicide.

Cell phone records show that Smith was in the area of the shooting at the time it occurred, according to Iannini, and also show that Meade and Gill were in close proximity to each other beginning shortly after the shooting.

Gill, Meade, and Smith were represented by attorneys John Swomley, Stephen Weymouth, and Robert Wheeler, respectively.

Steven Weymouth told the Gazette, “The Commonwealth has not given me much information about the case, so it’s hard for me to say anything about the case.” He also said, “We appeared on Oct. 26 with a plea of ‘not guilty’ and I’m waiting to see what the government has to say as far as evidence is concerned.”

Robert Wheeler, representing Javier Smith, said that there’s currently been no indictment and they are still waiting to see what the charge will be.

Swomley did not respond to the Gazette with comment. The three arraigned will return to court on Dec. 15.

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