Thursday, 4:30 PM
Survivor of gangland slaying testifies against alleged shooter
By John R. Ellement, Globe Staff
Despite threats against himself and his family, the sole survivor of a 2004 gangland-style execution in Roxbury repeatedly identified a Dorchester man in Suffolk Superior Court Friday as the person who killed his brother and step-nephew with a barrage of gunfire as the victims sat in a minivan.
Appearing as a prosecution witness, Anthony Bendolph, 26, told jurors that Renard Williams was the man who shot him, his brother, Willie Bendolph, 35, and his 19-year-old step-nephew, Jarrell Morris, as they sat in the vehicle on Castlegate Road on Aug. 2, 2004.
Williams, 29, of Dorchester, is on trial for two counts of first-degree murder. He has pleaded not guilty, and his defense attorney told jurors in his opening statement that Williams has been mistakenly identified as the shooter.
But Anthony Bendolph, who was shot seven times, testified that he had known Williams for 17 years before their encounter on Castlegate Road, a historically troubled street where the Bendolph family is well known. He testified that the assailant wore a dreadlocks wig, but said the attempt at disguise failed.
"Whether he had a wig on or a dress, it doesn't make a difference,'' the witness said. "I knew it was him.''
