In the early morning hours of August 16, 2014, Wilner Parisse, a 32-year-old Black / African American man, was shot and killed in his apartment on Grant Street in Lynn, Massachusetts. The incident that led to his death was a home invasion and robbery gone wrong, orchestrated by three individuals who believed Parisse, a known marijuana dealer, kept a significant amount of cash in his residence.
The plan was set in motion by Terrence Tyler, Rashad Shepherd, and Monique Jones.
Jones, who was in a sexual relationship with Parisse and also purchased marijuana from him, was tasked with gaining entry to his apartment under the guise of a sexual encounter. This was intended to create a vulnerable situation for Tyler and Shepherd to enter and rob Parisse. However, the situation escalated when Parisse fought back against his assailants. During the struggle, a single gunshot was fired, fatally wounding Parisse in the chest.
Following the incident, an investigation was launched by the Lynn Police and Massachusetts State Police detectives. Their efforts led to the identification of Tyler, Shepherd, and Jones as the primary suspects. In October 2014, Rashad Shepherd was arrested and charged with murder. Later that same month, Terrence Tyler was apprehended in Florida.
The legal proceedings brought the full details of the conspiracy to light. Monique Jones entered into a cooperation agreement with the prosecution and testified against her co-conspirators. In March 2016, a Salem Superior Court jury found Terrence Tyler guilty of first-degree felony murder. He was subsequently sentenced for his role in the deadly robbery.
In April 2016, Rashad Shepherd stood trial and was also convicted of murder in the first degree on the theory of felony-murder, with attempted unarmed robbery as the underlying felony. The prosecution put forth a theory that Shepherd was the one who fired the fatal shot. He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Shepherd later appealed his conviction, but it was affirmed by the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts.
