A True Story

December 13, 2005 was a cold night in Boston, about 17 degrees outside, but it was cold for more than one reason. Police called the quadruple murders the cities "deadliest shooting in a decade", the prosecuting attorney called the murders "cold-blooded execution", and a friend of the victims said "it's like a movie". Jason "J" Bachiller, Edwin "EJ" Ducan, Chris Viera (all members of the local Boston rap group Graveside), and their friend Jihad Chankhour were all murdered on that fateful night, and worst of all was that they were murdered by a so-called friend.

It all started, presumably, at about 7:30 p.m. (December 13, 2005), Chris Viera, 19, picked up his friend Jihad Chankhour, 22 in Wakefield; they planned to meet Jason Bachiller, 21 and Edwin Duncan, 21 at Duncan's parents house in the basement music studio of EJ Duncan at 43 Bourneside Avenue in Dorchester. No one really knows what happened between 7:30 p.m. that night and the time shortly before 10 p.m. when police were called to the scene.

All four men were found in a basement family room that also contained recording equipment, the scene was described by a law enforcement official as "very bloody". According to the Boston Globe from December 15, 2005, "one was inside the doorway, two others lay next to each other about five feet away, and the fourth was at the far end of the room, sitting near the equipment, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because no permission had been given to speak publicly. There were no obvious signs of struggle, nor visible signs that the victims tried to escape. ''It looks like [the killer] shot where he found them," the official said. ''It was very, very fast.""

Police asked for help in finding the car that was used by the killer(s) for the getaway, a 1998 black Ford Escort with tinted windows belonging to one of the victims Chris Viera. Five days later on the 18th of December, the car was found on a quiet street near the Ashmont MBTA Station.

Three months following the murders, two teens were called into focus by the police; one of them knew all the victims socially and the other had a lengthy arrest record. Police also discovered that there was no evidence of a forced entry which means the victims opened the door to the killer(s), not expecting that their lives would be taken.

Finally on the 19th of May 2006, just more than five months after the murders, two arrests were made by Boston Police who wanted to build an airtight case against the killers. Police arrested 19 year old Calvin L. Carnes Jr. of Dorchester in Wareham in a car and Robert B. Turner also 19 and also of Dorchester in Dorchester. Carnes was charged with stealing a 9mm Glock pistol , an AK-47, and a shotgun from the victims. He was also charged with stealing Chris Viera's 1998 Ford Escort. Both suspects were charged with unlawful possession of a firearm, possession of an assault weapon, and possession of a shotgun.

Both men pleaded not guilty to all charges as prosecutors detailed the happenings of that fateful night on December 13th. Bachiller was shot seven times (incl. in the head and neck), Viera and Duncan were shot multiple times (also incl. the head), and Chankhour was shot once through the heart as he tried desperately to escape. The 9mm Glock pistol belonged to Viera and the AK-47 and shotgun were kept in the basement apartment of Duncan, intended for protection, not for use and to impress others in the local Boston rap music scene.

According to the Boston Globe, The Assistant District Attorney David Meier said investigators have a lot of evidence implicating the two killers:

Carnes's fingerprint in Vieira's Ford Escort, stolen from the scene of the crime.

Blood from one victim in the driver's seat area of the Escort.

Witnesses who saw a man matching Carnes's physical description leaving the scene of the crime.

Witnesses who saw Carnes and Turner in possession of Vieira's ``distinctive looking" handgun in the months after the murder.

Witnesses who say the defendants tried to fabricate an alibi by enlisting their help.

Cellphone records placing Carnes and Turner near the crime scene the night of the killings.

Witnesses who say the defendants tried to sell them the stolen guns

The sad part is that these were good kids who died. These were not kids who were into drugs or guns; they were into their music and the same thing that all guys their age are into --- girls. Duncan was president of the youth group and the drummer for the church choir at the Eliot Congregational Church in Roxbury. He started the group Graveside when he was 12 years old with his best friend, Jelani Haynes. The three surviving members of the group, Haynes, Quentin Walford, and Duncan's cousin Dion Grant were pallbearers at his funeral. Viera, also known as fat boy, was said to be the funny one. Another strange fact is that three months before his death Viera was stopped by police who found he was wearing a bulletproof vest. Bachiller was said to be the handsome one of the group, he lost both his parents when he was 6 years old and was raised by his aunt and uncle whom he attended church with every Sunday. He was interning as a producer at a Boston recording studio. Irony of all ironies, a friend of the victims said Bachiller was the godfather to Carne's 15 month old child. Chankhour was there that night as a close friend of Viera's who had gone to help the members with a music video and to fix some recording equipment; he had hoped to be a computer technician one day.

Perhaps the biggest but most simple question of all that remains to be is why. Why were these murders committed? Are the friends and family of the victims right? Was it jealously? Graveside was clearly going places, Peter Parker of 97.7 WILD-FM (station does not exist as this anymore) was promoting the band locally and helped them by producing their breakout mix CD--- "Official Basement Files, Volume 1". In 2002, the group opened for Talib Kweli at Karma on Landsdowne St. and in 2004 they opened for Jagged Edge at Lido's in Revere. Parker believed that in another year, year and a half, Graveside would have had a record deal.

''They were searching for a manager," said Alveta Haynes (mother of Jelani Haynes). ''They were worried about finding someone credible who could help them. They didn't want to be taken advantage of." Many said over and over again that all these kids wanted to do was make music.

Alveta Haynes also said, ''Graveside didn't represent death, an obsession with the grave, or putting people in graves. Graveside was interested in things that were going on in their community." It's almost like in a lot of ways, they were trying to make people aware of a very harsh reality. Violence is present, and unless we do something to stop it others are bound for the same fate that these young men suffered.