Trial in Mattapan massacre to go on as scheduled; judge refuses to dismiss case

By Maria Cramer, Globe Staff

The trial of two men accused of killing four people, including a 2-year-old boy, in Mattapan in 2010 will begin as scheduled after a judge ruled today against a defense motion to dismiss the case.

As a result, jury selection in the first-degree murder trial of Dwayne Moore, 33, and Edward Washington, 32, will start this afternoon with the questioning of 50 potential jurors. Attorneys will attempt to select a panel of 16 people for the trial, which is expected to last a month.

Washington and Moore have both pleaded not guilty. Prosecutors say the men came looking for cash and drugs at the Sutton Street home of a drug dealer but ended up shooting everyone there. Five victims were found on nearby Woolson Street -- four were dead. The lone survivor, Marcus Hurd, is now a quadriplegic, is expected to testify.

This morning, Superior Court judge Christine McEvoy said she she’d written a 10-page opinion explaining her decision not to dismiss the case, but did not read it in court. The opinion resulted from a hearing last week in which defense attorneys had accused the prosecution of withholding information about a potential witness.