In the early morning hours of December 12, 2015, the sound of gunshots pierced the quiet of a Brockton, Massachusetts neighborhood. Responding to an alert from the city's ShotSpotter system, police discovered 21-year-old Edward Andrews lying unresponsive on the sidewalk of Haverhill Street. He was suffering from a gunshot wound to his upper torso and was rushed to Signature Healthcare in Brockton, where he was pronounced dead at 1:05 a.m.
The young man's life had been tragically cut short by an act of violence that would soon launch a thorough investigation by state and local police.
The investigation into the death of the male victim quickly pointed to a suspect. Brahden Hill, also a resident of Brockton, was identified by a witness as the person who shot Andrews before fleeing the scene on foot. State Police tracked Hill to an apartment in Dorchester where he was subsequently arrested. In February 2016, a Plymouth County Grand Jury indicted Hill on multiple charges, including one count of murder and one count of armed assault in connection with Andrews' death.
The case against Hill was not the only legal outcome of the investigation. Two other individuals, Ashley Harrison and Rupert Weeks, faced charges for their attempts to mislead and obstruct the investigation. Harrison was indicted for perjury and intimidation of a witness, with allegations that she lied to the Grand Jury about information she possessed regarding the homicide. Weeks was also indicted on a perjury charge after investigators found that he had lied about his whereabouts before and after the shooting. These additional charges highlighted the commitment of the Plymouth County District Attorney's Office to not only prosecute the primary suspect but also hold accountable those who would try to hinder the pursuit of justice.
