Man says he watched as friend killed 4 rap artists
Is sentenced to 13 years for 'heartless' actions
A Dorchester man yesterday admitted that he stood and watched as a longtime friend used a 9mm handgun to fire 15 bullets in the basement of a Dorchester home - killing four aspiring rap artists in 2005 in a crime that stunned the city.
Saying he was so ashamed by his actions he could not look relatives of the victims in the face, Robert Turner pleaded guilty in Suffolk Superior Court to four counts of accessory after the fact of murder and unlawful possession of three firearms, including the weapon used in the killings inside the Bourneside Street home. Turner was sentenced to a maximum of 13 years in prison.
"My actions were cowardice and heartless and also selfish," Turner, 21, said in court, reading quickly from a handwritten note. "I was raised to be strong, no matter what the situation was. . . . My actions were wrong."
Before Turner was sentenced, the mother of Edwin Duncan, one of the victims and the host of the gathering in the basement recording studio, said she will never be able to forget that Turner and the alleged shooter, Calvin Carnes Jr., were welcomed into their home.
"It's such an evil, evil crime for someone to do this," said Darnella Phillips, before she was overwhelmed by emotion. "To come into our home and take their lives - I will never get over that."
Suffolk First Assistant District Attorney Joshua Wall said Turner should be imprisoned for up to 16 years because he was an eyewitness to the "carnage" who then helped Carnes avoid arrest for about five months.
The Dec. 13, 2005, shooting ended the lives of three members of a rap group known as Graveside and the life of a fourth man who was simply visiting, according to the office of Suffolk District Attorney Daniel F. Conley.
In addition to killing Duncan, 21, who was shot three times, Carnes shot Jason Bachiller, 20, seven times; Christopher Vieira, 19, four times; and Jihad Chankhour, 22, once through his heart as he ran for the door, according to court papers. All 15 shots were fired at the victims from behind, Suffolk prosecutors said.
Bachiller's aunt, Yvette Bachiller, said her family is devastated by the loss of the bright, caring man who loved music and words so much he would sometimes just sit and read the dictionary. "It was easy to love Jason," she said.
In court papers, prosecutors said that the 9mm handgun belonged to Viera and that an AK-47 assault rifle and a 12-gauge Mossberg shotgun were in the basement studio, weapons that were "not intended for use, but for protection and for show and to impress others in the music world." The papers state that Carnes and Turner stole the firearms from the basement and hid them.
Wall said Turner found a place in Roxbury to stash the AK-47 and the shotgun - which he eventually destroyed - and fabricated a mutual alibi for Carnes. The weapon used in the killing was recovered in 2006, but prosecutors contend Turner had brief possession of the 9mm handgun after the killings.
Defense lawyer Michael Bourbeau pressed for a maximum sentence of seven years, saying Turner was not a violent man and has been deeply remorseful for playing any kind of role in the deaths of the men with whom he was friendly.
Turner said he regrets not stepping in and stopping the killings, and he expressed hope that relatives of the slain men would consider him someone who made a mistake, "not an animal with no heart."
Relatives did not speak with reporters after the sentencing.
Turner faced 48 years in state prison if given the maximum, but Superior Court Judge Margaret Hinkle decided on a total of 13 years of imprisonment, citing Turner's remorse, his minimal criminal history, and the fact that prosecutors had no evidence showing he knew that Carnes would kill the four acquaintances.
Turner has already served about two years awaiting trial, making him potentially eligible for parole in about nine years. He has not agreed to testify against Carnes, who is scheduled to go on trial May 16, according to both Wall and Bourbeau.
Carnes's lawyer, Shannon Frison, said yesterday that prosecutors have a weak case against her client and that witnesses, including Turner, have told varying accounts of what happened that evening.
Carnes, she added, denies being the killer. "Absolutely not," she said. "We are looking forward to showing that at trial." 