On October 31, 2019, Pasqual Casiano, a 44-year-old resident of Jamaica Plain, Boston, MA, was fatally shot in the Roslindale neighborhood of Boston. The incident occurred at a car repair shop where Casiano operated a adjacent car dealership and worked in sales with his nephew, Javier Fonseca.
The shooting was the result of an argument that escalated into a physical altercation between Casiano and the defendant, who was employed as a mechanic at the car repair shop.
According to the prosecution, the argument turned violent when the defendant and Casiano engaged in a mutual fist fight, which Fonseca attempted to break up. However, only the defendant was in possession of a gun, and he pushed both Fonseca and Casiano away before shooting them. Casiano was struck in the abdomen, a wound that ultimately led to his death, while Fonseca suffered a gunshot wound to his hand.
The defendant, whose name is revealed to be Lugo in subsequent legal proceedings, fled the scene and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts immediately after the shooting. He abandoned his cell phone, job, and several family members, including five of his six children, and traveled to New York where he altered his appearance by cutting off his distinctive dreadlocks, a hairstyle he had maintained for fifteen years. In New York, Lugo used his son's phone instead of purchasing a new one under his own name, further indicating his attempts to evade detection.
Lugo was eventually apprehended and brought back to Massachusetts to face charges. He was arraigned in 2020 for the fatal shooting of Pasqual Casiano. During his trial, Lugo presented a different account of the events, claiming that he was attacked by Casiano and Fonseca with a gun and a bat, and that he acted in self-defense after being severely beaten and fearing for his life. However, the prosecution's evidence, including eyewitness corroborations and Lugo's own admission of taking the gun and firing shots, led the jury to convict him of the lesser included offense of voluntary manslaughter, rather than first-degree murder.
In the appellate review of the case, the court affirmed Lugo's conviction for voluntary manslaughter but vacated his convictions for the firearm offenses due to errors in the jury instructions and the admission of evidence of Lugo's prearrest silence.
