On a fateful evening in Revere Beach, Massachusetts, the life of 25-year-old Dana Hill was tragically cut short in a wave of senseless violence. The tragic events of September 20, 1981, began to unfold with an earlier altercation that had nothing to do with Hill. A friend of his, James Rich, was brutally stabbed by four men believed to be members of the Hells Angels motorcycle club after they mistook him for a member of a rival gang, the Devil's Disciples MC.
Blinded by a thirst for
vengeance, three of Rich's friends, Robert L. Cobb, Arthur A. Corbett, and Andrew J. Millyan, decided to retaliate against any Hells Angels they could find. Their quest for revenge led them to a local bar where Dana Hill, who was not a member of any motorcycle gang but had the appearance of a biker, was simply enjoying his evening. In a tragic case of mistaken identity, Andrew J. Millyan discharged a shotgun, striking Hill in the head. Dana Hill succumbed to his injuries three days later.
The trio of assailants attempted to conceal their crime, discarding the murder weapon in a body of water, but their efforts to evade justice were short-lived. A swift and thorough police investigation led to the apprehension of Cobb, Corbett, and Millyan. The three were subsequently indicted on first-degree murder charges under the theory of joint enterprise.
Their trial brought the violent world of motorcycle gang rivalries into the stark light of the courtroom. On May 19, 1982, Arthur A. Corbett and Andrew J. Millyan were convicted of murder in the first degree and sentenced to life in prison. Robert L. Cobb was found guilty of the lesser charge of murder in the second degree and also received a life sentence. The convictions brought a measure of justice for the senseless killing of an innocent man caught in the crossfire of a feud he had no part in.
