Roxbury man arrested in Jamaica for Boston murder

September 5, 2008 03:31 PM Email| Comments (0)| Text size – +

By Globe staff

A 39-year-old Roxbury man is in custody in Jamaica, charged with last week's fatal stabbing of Sheldon Anderson near a Geneva Avenue apartment, according to a spokesman for Suffolk District Attorney Daniel F. Conley.

The suspect, who was identified as Richard Parris, was arrested by Jamaican officials today, said Jake Wark. He will be held there while Boston police and prosecutors seek his return to eventually stand trial for the Aug. 27 incident.

According to police, they were called to a Geneva avenue apartment building around 7 p.m. on Aug. 27 where the found a man bleeding from stab wounds. He was rushed to Boston Medical Center where he was pronounced dead.

Wark said the two men argued and and were involved in an altercation before the stabbing. He said detectives had obtained an arrest warrant for Parris last week and were trying to track him down, but he managed to elude investigators and make his way to Jamaica.

In a joint statement, Conley and Boston Police Commissioner Edward Davis said the arrest shows that Boston law enforcement will pursue suspects after they flee Massachusetts.

“Let this be a message to anyone who would use deadly violence on our streets,” Conley said.

“We will spare no effort to identify you and we will travel any distance to catch you. The Suffolk prosecutors and Boston Police detectives who worked this case did so around the clock to achieve this goal, and they will continue those efforts until we bring justice to Mr. Andrews’ family,'' he said.