On the morning of May 7, 2009, a 15-year-old Black / African American male named Soheil Soey Turner was waiting for his school bus in the Roxbury neighborhood of Boston. The eighth-grader had just stopped at a convenience store near the intersection of Dudley Street and Adams Street. At approximately 7:22 AM, his life was tragically cut short when he was shot in the back of the head and in the shoulder.
First responders rushed Soheil to Boston Medical Center, but his injuries were too severe, and he was pronounced dead.
The shooting was captured on surveillance video, which showed the assailant, a male in a black hooded sweatshirt, approaching Soheil. After a brief conversation, the man drew a gun and fired, then fled the scene. The investigation quickly pointed to 18-year-old Xzeniyeju Chukwuezi. A young woman who knew Chukwuezi witnessed him at the scene just before the shooting and saw him "speed walking" away immediately after the gunshots. In the weeks that followed, Chukwuezi confessed to her that he had shot Turner in retaliation for a recent shooting that had injured one of his friends, though authorities stated that Soheil had no gang affiliations and was not involved in any prior incidents.
Based on the evidence and witness cooperation, Boston Police arrested Xzeniyeju Chukwuezi and charged him with murder and unlawful possession of a firearm. During his trial, Chukwuezi maintained his innocence, with his defense arguing it was a case of mistaken identity. However, on October 19, 2010, a jury found him guilty of first-degree murder. He was subsequently sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
