Thursday, 4:30 PM
Man pleads not guilty to Charlestown slaying
By John R. Ellement, Globe Staff
An Allston man pleaded not guilty today to charges he shot and killed a 20-year-old outside a Charlestown housing development the day after Christmas last year. Charged with first-degree murder, Carlos A. Maldonado, 24, was ordered held without bail by Boston Municipal Court Judge Anthony Sullivan.
Defense attorney David Sokol said that Maldonado, 24, was an active duty member of the US Coast Guard on the day of the killing and has since completed his four year enlistment. Coast Guard officials are currently checking records in an attempt to verify Sokok's claims at the Globe's request.
Sokol also said in court that Maldonado worked with three anti-gang groups and was trying to stem gang violence in Charlestown. He suggested that gang members were trying to falsely incriminate Maldonado as retribution for his work.
But Suffolk Assistant District Attorney David Fredette told the court that Maldonado was identified by several witnesses. Some of the accusers identified Maldonado by name, while others called him by his nickname, which is "Braveheart," according to court records.
Fredette did not offer a motive for the shooting, but he said it stemmed from a fist fight between several people on Monument Street that escalated into a larger conflict. Fredette alleged that the fight ended when Maldonado shot Parrilla several times.
Parrilla, whose family has told The Globe was affiliated with a notorious street gang, was rushed to Massachusetts General Hospital and pronounced dead.
