By John Lynds
After the arrest of one teen charged with last week’s murder of 21-year-old Duncan Ketter, homicide detectives cast a larger web and nabbed two more individuals they believe were involved in the murder. The total number of defendants in Eastie’s first homicide of the year is now at three.
Last Monday police arrested their first suspect, Thorus O’Brien, 18, of Brockton in the slaying of Ketter whose body was found Sunday, Dec. 10, suffering from a gunshot wound on the corner of Orleans and Marginal streets. O’Brien was held without bail during his arraignment Tuesday afternoon, and charged with murder, armed robbery, and unlawfully carrying a loaded firearm.
Police then arrested a 16-year-old juvenile and charged him in Suffolk County Juvenile Court last Tuesday. The juvenile was charged with delinquency, to wit, armed robbery, and armed assault with intent to rob. His bail was set at $100,000.
Finally police arrested Demetrius Cast, 20, of Everett and faced similar to the juvenile but was charged as an adult. He was held on $350,000 cash bail and his open bail in unrelated Middlesex County cases has been revoked.
According to Assistant District Attorney Catherine Ham of D.A. Daniel Conley’s Homicide Unit the juvenile allegedly contacted a woman known to him and arranged to purchase a quantity of marijuana on Sunday afternoon, Dec. 10. Ketter happened to be with this woman at the time of the planned transaction.
The 16-year-old juvenile allegedly brought Ketter and the female into a small sport-utility vehicle to exchange the marijuana for cash. Cast was in the back seat but unbeknownst to Ketter or the woman, O’Brien was also inside the vehicle and hiding in a rear cargo hold.
As the group made the transaction O’Brien allegedly revealed himself as the vehicle was in motion and produced a firearm and demanded marijuana from the woman and Ketter. When he was met with verbal resistance, O’Brien allegedly fired, fatally injuring Ketter and striking Cast in the arm. The group allegedly threw Ketter and the woman from the vehicle onto the street, traveled to Revere, and let the juvenile and Cast out as well.
The juvenile later sought medical help for a gunshot wound at Mass. General Hospital in Boston. Police responded and questioned the juvenile, and he was later arrested and arraigned from his hospital bed.
“I want to commend my officers and detectives for their outstanding and ongoing commitment to keeping people safe and the fast-moving investigation that preceded the swift arrest of the suspect wanted in connection to this case,” said Boston Police Commissioner William Evans. “Thanks to their hard work, a dangerous individual was taken into police custody less than 24 hours after the incident. Without a doubt, an arrest like this makes our city a safer place and, hopefully, sends a loud, clear message that gun violence will not be tolerated in our city and anyone who thinks otherwise will be dealt with swiftly and severely.”