The 20-year old man charged in the stabbing death of Gage Smith in East Boston in 2016 pleaded guilty to manslaughter last week rather than face trial.
Darius Barry was charged with stabbing and killing Smith on Aug. 17, 2016 on Paris Street during a fight. He would have been tried on a second degree murder indictment but pled guilty to the lesser crime of manslaughter and was sentenced to 12 to 15 years in state prison by Suffolk Superior Court Judge Rosalind Miller.
According to District Attorney Dan Conley’s office had the case proceeded to trial, Assistant District Attorney David Bradley would have introduced evidence and testimony to prove that Smith, Barry and others had been drinking and using drugs on the night of Aug. 16 into the morning of Aug. 17.
Later a female friend of Barry’s called him to Smith’s Paris Street home. When Barry and another friend arrived at the scene, the female who called him was outside on the street and Smith was upstairs in his residence. At that time, she was involved in a conflict with Barry.
After a verbal confrontation Smith came downstairs and engaged one of Barry’s friends in a physical fight. Bradley said Barry intervened in that conflict, stabbing Smith twice in the back and once in the chest, causing fatal injuries.
Smith later died at Massachusetts General Hospital and Barry fled the scene but was apprehended two days later.