In the early evening of October 23, 2020, a young Black man named Christopher Lascase, 20, was fatally shot in Brockton, Massachusetts. The incident occurred at approximately 6:21 p.m. inside a room at the Super 8 Motel. Brockton Police responded to multiple 911 calls reporting a shooting at the motel. Upon arrival, officers were directed to Room 212, where they discovered Lascase suffering from apparent gunshot wounds.
He was transported to Good Samaritan Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The investigation into the shooting was conducted by Massachusetts State Police detectives assigned to the Plymouth County District Attorney's Office and the Brockton Police. Their investigation quickly led to a suspect, and an arrest warrant was issued for 22-year-old Dvante Bly-Mollenthiel of Brockton. He was taken into custody without incident on October 25, 2020. Initially, Bly-Mollenthiel was arraigned on a murder charge and held without bail.
As the case progressed, another individual, 39-year-old Valdir Rodrigues of Weymouth, was identified as being present with Bly-Mollenthiel at the time of the shooting. Investigators learned that the two men had gone to the motel to purchase drugs from Lascase. In March 2024, Dvante Bly-Mollenthiel pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and firearm charges. A judge sentenced him to 12 to 15 years in state prison for the manslaughter charge, with additional concurrent sentences for the firearm indictments.
