Robert Greene Jr.

In the spring of 2004, a wave of violence crested over New Bedford, Massachusetts, culminating in a murder that would send deadly ripples through the community for years to come. On the evening of Saturday, April 24, Robert Greene Jr., a young black man, was shot and killed on the front porch of his mother’s home at 111 Smith Street. His death was not an isolated incident but the tragic climax of two weeks of intermittent drive-by shootings that had plagued the city.

Robert’s mother, Linda Susie Thomas Greene, was described by those who loved her as a woman who was stubborn, outspoken, generous, and fiercely devoted to her family. Her life was marked by significant hardship, including illnesses that left her disabled, but she raised four children on her own. The loss of her son Robert, and later another son, Malcolm, were tragedies she carried for the rest of her life. Family was everything to Linda, and Robert was part of that core, a son whose violent death left an unhealable wound.

On the night he was killed, witnesses saw a vehicle speeding away from the Smith Street home immediately after the gunshots rang out. The investigation, handled by the New Bedford Police Department and the Bristol County District Attorney's Office, soon uncovered complex ballistic evidence. At least two different firearms were used to shoot at Robert, indicating multiple assailants. Shell casings from a third weapon were also found at the scene, suggesting that someone, perhaps Robert himself or an associate, had fired back at the attackers.

The murder of Robert Greene Jr. set off a chain reaction of street violence. Investigators believe his death was the catalyst for a retaliatory homicide two years later. In June 2006, Antonio J. Semedo, a 35-year-old father with no gang affiliations whose brother was a New Bedford police officer, was shot and killed while driving on Route 18. Prosecutors stated that Semedo was the victim of mistaken identity, targeted because he resembled one of the men suspected of killing Robert.

Authorities alleged that Robert's brother, Reggie Greene, and another man, Terrell Baptiste, were members of the United Front street gang and had been hunting for Robert’s killer on the night Semedo died. Following a tip about the location of a rival gang member, they pursued Semedo’s car onto the highway. While Reggie Greene was reportedly on the phone trying to confirm the driver's identity, Baptiste, riding in the passenger seat, allegedly opened fire, killing the innocent man. Reggie Greene was later convicted of manslaughter for his role in the killing, while Baptiste was also charged.

Despite the convictions in the connected Semedo case, the murder of Robert Greene Jr. remains officially unsolved. The identities of the two gunmen who fired the fatal shots on his mother's porch have never been publicly confirmed, and no one has been charged with his homicide. The case represents a painful chapter for a family that has endured immense loss and for a community that witnessed a cycle of deadly retribution.

As of December 2024, Robert Greene Jr.’s case is still listed as an unsolved homicide by the Bristol County District Attorney’s Office. Investigators continue to seek the missing pieces that could finally bring justice for Robert and provide answers to his surviving loved ones, including his sister, Marion, and his brother, Reggie.