On the evening of November 20, 2021, a young Black/African American man named Daquelle Matthews, age 22, was standing outside a 7-Eleven on Salem Street in Malden, Massachusetts. At approximately 9:40 p.m., a vehicle with several individuals inside pulled up. Following what authorities described as a brief interaction between Matthews and the occupants of the car, a passenger in the vehicle opened fire, striking Matthews multiple times. The car then sped away from the scene.
First responders arrived to find Matthews suffering from multiple gunshot wounds and transported him to an area hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The Office of the Medical Examiner later ruled his death a homicide.
The investigation, a joint effort by the Malden Police Department and the Middlesex District Attorney's Office, began immediately. By reviewing surveillance footage and conducting interviews with witnesses, investigators were able to identify the suspect vehicle, which they later located at a residence in Somerville. Further investigation, including forensic analysis of the car, led them to identify the driver as Isaiah Sautier and the passenger who allegedly fired the shots as 19-year-old Antonio Rufo-Sanon of Somerville.
Isaiah Sautier was the first to be apprehended and was arraigned on December 2, 2021. He faced charges of accessory after the fact to murder and accessory after the fact to assault and battery with a dangerous weapon. A little over a week later, on December 13, 2021, authorities located and arrested Antonio Rufo-Sanon at a home in Somerville without incident. He was subsequently charged with the murder of Daquelle Matthews.
