On a warm Fourth of July evening in 2020, a celebratory cookout on Fayette Street in Lynn, Massachusetts, turned into a scene of tragedy. Among the attendees was 35-year-old Noe Hernandez, a Hispanic man from Lynn. Around 10 p.m., as the festivities were underway, gunfire erupted, shattering the holiday atmosphere. Hernandez was fatally wounded in the chaos and was later pronounced dead at Salem Hospital.
Four other individuals were also injured in the shooting, one of whom sustained life-threatening injuries.
The incident was described as a drive-by shooting, with assailants firing approximately 20 rounds from a rented pickup truck into the crowd gathered for the cookout. An investigation was immediately launched by the Lynn Police Department and the Essex State Police Detective Unit. In the days that followed, authorities identified and apprehended four suspects in connection with the deadly assault.
The investigation led to the arrests of Tyrell Junior Berberena, 27, of Malden, and Marcus Carlisle, 25, of Lynn. Two other men, Josue Cespedes and Elijah Fontes-Wilson, both from Lynn, were also taken into custody. The subsequent legal proceedings revealed a complex case. Fontes-Wilson, who had rented the truck used in the shooting, testified against Berberena and Carlisle as part of a plea agreement. Cespedes pleaded guilty to manslaughter and received a sentence of 9-12 years in prison.
In March 2023, a jury found both Tyrell Junior Berberena and Marcus Carlisle guilty of first-degree murder for the death of Noe Hernandez. They were also convicted on multiple counts of armed assault with intent to murder and assault and battery for the injuries sustained by the other four victims. In April 2023, both men were sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. During the sentencing, the judge noted the extensive criminal records of both men and emphasized the tragedy of the senseless violence that cut short Hernandez's life and irrevocably impacted many others.
