Arrest made in Boston's first homicide of 2008

By Globe Staff

A 23-year-old Dorchester man is in custody, charged with committing the first murder in Boston this year, the Jan. 6 shooting of Joseph N. Clarke in Dorchester.

Clarke was shot nine days before his 24th birthday. His body was found near the intersection of Norton and Bowdoin streets shortly before 2 a.m. He had been shot in the head, police said. About an hour before he was murdered, Clarke had telephoned his mother and wished her a happy birthday, relatives told the Globe.

Police and Suffolk District Attorney Daniel F. Conley's office identified the suspect as Rayon Gillespie and said he surrendered last night after learning police had obtained an arrest warrant for him.

Police did not say what they believe to be the motive for the shooting. Gillespie is to be arraigned today in Dorchester Municipal Court.