In the early morning hours of October 30, 2021, the life of 34-year-old Eric Hargrett, a Black male from Framingham, Massachusetts, was brought to a violent end. Police received a 911 call around 1:19 a.m. from a woman who knew Hargrett, reporting a possible shooting at a residence on Hayes Street. Upon their arrival, officers discovered Hargrett inside the home, deceased from an apparent gunshot wound.
The subsequent investigation revealed that the Hayes Street property was operating as
a rooming house. Hargrett was not a resident but was in a room rented by a male acquaintance. An autopsy later confirmed that he died from a gunshot wound to the head and also had lacerations. Investigators determined that prior to the shooting, Hargrett had a phone conversation with two brothers, Aaron Sutton, 49, and Eugene Sutton, Jr., 52, both of Framingham, and they agreed to meet at the Hayes Street address.
After the three men entered the residence, witnesses reported hearing a gunshot. Surveillance footage and witness interviews indicated that two men, later identified as the Sutton brothers, fled the scene immediately after the shot was fired. The investigation suggests that the brothers robbed Hargrett of money and other items. During an ensuing altercation, Hargrett was slashed before Eugene Sutton allegedly shot him.
On November 2, 2021, an off-duty Framingham police officer spotted Aaron Sutton in Framingham, leading to his arrest. He was subsequently charged with murder, armed robbery, armed assault to murder, and possession of a firearm. His brother, Eugene Sutton, remained at large and was considered armed and dangerous. A search of a residence in Ashland that Eugene had reportedly visited after the shooting uncovered a firearm consistent with the murder weapon. Eugene Sutton was never apprehended by authorities; he died in West Anaheim, California, on January 31, 2022.
