Kevin Gonsalves, a 33-year-old male from Milford, was killed on the night of November 20, 2015, after he was brought to a vacant house at 139 Mendon Street in Blackstone, Massachusetts. Authorities said the call came in around 7:35 p.m. after a neighbor heard gunshots, and first responders found Gonsalves dead at the scene. Investigators later said he had been shot multiple times, including in the head and chest.
The story prosecutors laid out was that Gonsalves had not arrived there by chance. William Hodges and Brendan Bates, described as half-brothers, were accused of driving him to the Blackstone address under the false pretense that they were going to rob a drug dealer or marijuana grower. The house itself appeared to have no real connection to the motive; prosecutors said it was simply part of the setup. Once they arrived, Hodges and Gonsalves got out of the vehicle, and Hodges shot him. WJAR reported that Bates drove the group in a Chevrolet Trailblazer and that witnesses heard screams followed by three gunshots.
Officials said the killing stemmed from an ongoing dispute between Hodges and Gonsalves, though prosecutors initially declined to publicly explain the nature of that dispute. Later reporting stated that the shooting happened after Gonsalves became romantically involved with Hodges’ wife. At the arraignment, family and friends of Gonsalves sat in the courtroom as Hodges and Bates appeared before a judge, and one person yelled “coward” as the suspects were being led away. Gonsalves’ father, John Gonsalves, told the Milford Daily News that his son had been planning to move to Arizona in mid-December to take over the family landscaping business and described him as gentle, with “a heart of gold.”
Hodges and Bates were arrested two days after the shooting and were initially ordered held without bail after being arraigned in Uxbridge District Court. Both were charged with murder and misleading a police investigation, and not guilty pleas were entered on their behalf. Investigators credited a fast-moving effort involving Blackstone Police, Milford Police, Quincy Police, Massachusetts State Police detectives assigned to the Worcester County District Attorney’s Office, State Police Crime Scene Services, the State Police Crime Lab, and the State Police Dive Team. Authorities also said the handgun believed to have been used in the shooting was recovered by the dive team.
The case later split in two different directions for the suspects. In January 2016, the murder charge against Brendan Bates was dropped by a grand jury, though he still faced charges of misleading a criminal investigation, carrying a firearm without a license, and carrying ammunition without an FID card; bail was set at $20,000 cash. William Hodges remained charged in connection with the killing and was later indicted on charges including first-degree murder, misleading an investigation, carrying a firearm without a license, and carrying ammunition without an FID card.
Years later, the case reached a resolution when Hodges pleaded guilty in Worcester Superior Court. In May 2022, he admitted to voluntary manslaughter, intimidation of a witness, and firearm and ammunition possession charges. Judge Janet Kenton-Walker sentenced him to serve 19 to 20 years on the manslaughter charge and another 19 to 20 years on the intimidation of a witness charge, for a total sentence of 38 to 40 years in prison. He also received sentences on the firearm and ammunition charges, which were ordered to run concurrently.
