In the early evening of September 24, 2020, Raymond Sierra, a 27-year-old male, was fatally shot in front of his Union Avenue home in Bridgeport, Connecticut. Born in Bayamon, Puerto Rico, Sierra was an aspiring professional boxer and a father of five. He had just returned from a nearby store shortly before 8 p.m. when the incident occurred. His children had been setting up a small graveyard for Halloween on the lawn, just feet from where their father would fall.
According to family
members, Sierra was approached by two men. After a brief and seemingly calm exchange, one of the men shot Sierra once in the chest. Family members who heard the "pop" rushed outside to find him on the sidewalk. They attempted to transport him to the hospital themselves, and patrol units that had been dispatched to the area following a report of shots fired assisted them. Despite their efforts, Sierra was pronounced dead at Bridgeport Hospital. His death was the 16th homicide in the city that year.
The investigation into the shooting led police to a friend of Sierra's, 23-year-old Deontae Boykin. In December 2020, Boykin turned himself in to the police after learning there was a warrant for his arrest. He was charged with felony murder and attempted first-degree robbery. While Boykin was not the man who pulled the trigger, prosecutors argued he was a willing participant in the crime. Witnesses stated that Boykin and another, still unidentified man, had attempted to rob Sierra at gunpoint. The motive was believed to be a dispute over a debt or envy over Sierra's growing success as a boxer. One witness claimed Boykin and his accomplice were trying to steal Sierra's gold chain.
In February 2024, after a two-week trial and four hours of deliberation, a jury found Deontae Boykin guilty of felony murder and attempted first-degree robbery. The Sierra family, who had waited over three years for this development, expressed relief at the verdict. In June 2024, Boykin was sentenced to 30 years in prison, to be followed by 10 years of special parole. Throughout the proceedings, Boykin maintained his innocence and his defense attorney stated they would appeal the verdict. The individual who fired the fatal shot has not been publicly identified or arrested, and the investigation is reportedly ongoing.
