On a spring day in Boston, the life of Garfield Thomas, a 33-year-old Black / African American man, was brought to a violent and tragic end. On the morning of May 15, 2018, police responded to a call for a person shot at an apartment on Evelyn Street in the Mattapan neighborhood. Inside, they found Garfield Thomas suffering from a gunshot wound. He was rushed to a local hospital but was pronounced dead.
Thomas, who was originally from Linden, Guyana, was the son of Frankie Thomas and Marcelle Fraser.
The investigation into the shooting led Boston police to identify a suspect. Months later, on December 28, 2018, an arrest was made in connection with Thomas's death. Jocelyn Vasquez, a 32-year-old woman from Dorchester, was taken into custody in Stoughton with the assistance of the local police department. She was subsequently charged with murder and unlawful possession of a firearm.
After years of legal proceedings, the case against Jocelyn Vasquez came to a conclusion in June of 2023. A Suffolk County jury convicted the then 37-year-old Vasquez of second-degree murder and possession of a firearm without a license. Her sentencing was scheduled for later that month. The conviction brought a long-awaited resolution for the family and friends of Garfield Thomas, closing a painful chapter that began with a senseless act of violence in a Mattapan apartment.
