On a crisp autumn morning in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, the life of a 30-year-old Black / African American man, David Green Jr., was irrevocably altered. On November 3, 2018, while sitting in his pickup truck near the intersection of Spring and Willow streets, Green was shot in the neck. He was rushed to Berkshire Medical Center, where he succumbed to his injuries a few days later.
The incident was quickly deemed a homicide, launching an extensive investigation that would cross state lines.
The investigation, a collaborative effort between the Pittsfield Police Department, State Police Detectives assigned to the District Attorney's Office, and the Berkshire County Sheriff's Department, soon pointed toward a suspect who was not local to the area. Through a combination of witness testimony, video surveillance, and mobile phone tracking, authorities identified 40-year-old Lance Burke of the Bronx, New York, as the alleged shooter. Believed to be a hired killing stemming from a complex dating-related conflict, the investigation revealed that Burke had no direct connection to Pittsfield or to Green himself.
On November 20, 2018, a warrant was executed in the Bronx, and Lance Burke was arrested by members of the Pittsfield Police Department Detective Bureau and Anti-Crime Unit, with assistance from the New York City Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Burke was subsequently charged with first-degree murder, carrying a firearm without a license, and carrying a loaded firearm. A Berkshire County grand jury indicted him on these charges in March 2019.
After a lengthy legal process, which included an initial trial that resulted in a hung jury, Lance Burke was found guilty in a retrial. The prosecution successfully presented a detailed account of Burke's journey from New York City to Pittsfield, his actions in the city, and his return to New York after the shooting. This meticulous presentation of digital and technical evidence was crucial in securing the conviction, bringing a measure of justice to the family of David Green Jr. for what the District Attorney described as a "senseless act of violence."
