Suspect mistakenly accused in Turner slaying, lawyer says

But his lawyer said his latest arrest, on charges that he assassinated an eighth-grader waiting for a school bus, could be a case of mistaken identity.

Chukwuezi, a reputed gang member, stood behind a door in Roxbury District Court yesterday, listening as an assistant district attorney accused him of shooting 15-year-old Soheil Turner twice in the head on Dudley Street.

The attack, which occurred outside Nunez Market at about 7:20 a.m. on May 7, was caught on city surveillance cameras.

"It would be a gross understatement to describe that footage as shocking," Assistant Suffolk District Attorney John Pappas said yesterday before a courtroom packed with Turner's relatives and friends. Police said the younger boy had no known gang affiliations, but may have been killed because he was seen talking to Chukwuezi's rivals.

Chukwuezi's lawyer, John P. Moss Jr., said that if police were so sure his client was the shooter they would not have waited more than a week to arrest him.

"Obviously it's a tragedy," Moss said. "The real issue is whether this kid had anything to do with it."

Chukwuezi's mother, a social worker, was in the courtroom, as her 18-year-old son pleaded not guilty to charges of murder and unlawful gun possession.

Turner's mother wept throughout the arraignment, as Turner's father patted her leg to comfort her.

Chukwuezi and Turner lived blocks from each other, and both walked that morning with backpacks slung over their shoulders in opposite directions on Adams Street to get to the bus stop on Dudley Street, Pappas said. But the prosecutor said Chukwuezi carried a .380 semiautomatic handgun in his front right pocket. When Turner walked out of Nunez Market munching on a honey bun, Chukwuezi crossed Dudley Street to talk to the younger boy, Pappas said. There were no signs of acrimony between the teenagers.

Then Chukwuezi reached into his pocket, Pappas said. After the shooting, Chukwuezi allegedly ran back down Adams Street as Turner crumbled to the ground, the honey bun falling into a pool of his blood.

The Rev. Dale Robinson, a Roxbury minister, said he knew both teenagers as part of his outreach work in the neighborhood.

He said he had urged Chukwuezi, whose nickname is Juju, to stay in school. "We lose two kids now," Robinson said. "One, accused of the crime, if he's found guilty goes to jail for life, and the other one is gone."

He urged people not to retaliate. "Please, no more killings," Robinson said. "Please."

Maria Cramer can be reached at mcramer@globe.com.