On the evening of January 8, 2006, 18-year-old Natalie A. Sumner, a White/Caucasian female, was at an apartment in the Allston section of Boston, Massachusetts, with her friend, Ashley Bjelf. They were visiting Julio Ceus and his roommates. The night took a tragic turn when two assailants entered the apartment with the intent to commit robbery.
The intruders, one described as a tall, stocky Black man and the other as a shorter white man with a beard, quickly took control of the
apartment's occupants. Natalie and her friend were forced to lie face down on the floor of a bedroom. A roommate, Rony Valcy, was also forced from his bed and made to lie on the floor. The assailants demanded money from Ceus, who complied. After receiving the money, a hand signal was given, and the gunmen opened fire. Julio Ceus was shot twice in the head and died at the scene. Natalie Sumner was struck by a bullet in the back as she lay on the floor. She was rushed to a hospital but succumbed to her injuries.
The investigation into the double homicide moved forward, aided by key pieces of evidence. One of the surviving witnesses identified one of the assailants. This identification, combined with cell phone records and surveillance footage that captured a suspect's vehicle near the apartment building shortly after the murders, led to a breakthrough in the case.
In March of 2006, a suspect was indicted in connection with the murders of Natalie Sumner and Julio Ceus. On September 27, 2007, the defendant was convicted on two counts of first-degree murder. For the death of Julio Ceus, the conviction was based on deliberate premeditation. For Natalie Sumner's death, it was a conviction of felony murder, with the underlying felony being the armed robbery.
