In the early hours of February 10, 2017, the life of 44-year-old Kevin Blanton, a male resident of Chicopee, Massachusetts, was tragically cut short. Responding to a report of a shooting at 74 Ann Street at approximately 1:09 a.m., Chicopee Police officers discovered Blanton suffering from a gunshot wound. First aid was immediately administered at the scene before he was rushed to Baystate Medical Center, where he was pronounced deceased shortly after his arrival.
The investigation into
the homicide, a collaborative effort between the Chicopee Police Department and the Massachusetts State Police Detective Unit assigned to the Hampden District Attorney's Office, quickly identified persons of interest. Within less than 12 hours of the crime, two individuals from Springfield were taken into custody. The swift arrests brought two suspects into the fold: Michael Brawner, 29, and Sorheyddi Colondres, 33. Authorities assured the public that the shooting was not a random act of violence.
As the legal process unfolded, the connection between the victim and the accused came to light. Kevin Blanton was the former boyfriend of Sorheyddi Colondres and the father of her daughter. In January 2019, Colondres pleaded guilty to misleading police and attempting to cover up her role in Blanton's death. Prosecutors revealed that after her fiancé at the time, Michael Brawner, had killed Blanton, Colondres drove Brawner back to their home in Springfield. For her part in the crime's aftermath, she was sentenced to up to seven years in state prison.
Michael Brawner faced the more serious charge of murder for his role as the triggerman in Kevin Blanton's death. He pleaded not guilty, and his case went to trial. In February 2019, a Hampden County Superior Court jury found Michael Brawner guilty of second-degree murder. The conviction carried a life sentence with the possibility of parole, bringing a measure of justice for the killing of Kevin Blanton.
