Ryan Babcock, a 38-year-old White man, was remembered by his family as a loving son, brother, father, and uncle with a big heart. His sister wrote that he did not deserve to be taken from his family in such a heinous way, just two weeks before his 39th birthday.
On the afternoon of Tuesday, June 11, 2024, in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, a 911 caller reported hearing gunshots near Fenn and East streets around 3:30 p.m. Police who canvassed the area did not initially find a victim.
More than an hour later, at 4:49 p.m., another caller reported finding a man unresponsive inside a GMC Terrain SUV parked in a driveway at 546 Fenn Street, largely hidden from the road. Officers arrived to find Ryan Babcock in the driver's seat with at least two gunshot wounds to his chest and lower abdomen. Paramedics performed life-saving measures, but he was pronounced dead at the scene. Investigators found eight shell casings in the driveway.
The Berkshire District Attorney’s Office stated that the shooting was not a random act and posed no immediate danger to the public. The investigation, a joint effort by Pittsfield Police and the State Police Detective Unit, quickly focused on a suspect. According to court records, surveillance footage captured two people near Babcock’s car, followed by the sound of an argument and eight gunshots. A man in a black shirt and shorts, later identified by his tattoos as Jeremy Stanton, was seen on video running from the area. A police report stated that Stanton allegedly told someone he had found text messages leading him to believe his girlfriend had started a relationship with Babcock and had given Babcock his "stash."
The day after the shooting, on the evening of June 12, police arrested Jeremy Stanton, 38, at a home in Worthington. He was initially taken into custody on unrelated outstanding warrants for probation violation, assault with a dangerous weapon, and vandalizing property before being charged with Babcock’s murder.
Stanton pleaded not guilty at his arraignment in Central Berkshire District Court and was ordered held without bail. In September 2024, a grand jury indicted him on charges of first-degree murder and being an armed career criminal. As of January 2026, the case was pending in Berkshire Superior Court, with Stanton’s attorney having filed a motion to disqualify the District Attorney’s office from prosecuting the case due to an alleged conflict of interest. Court proceedings were ongoing.
