Murder Conviction For Man Who Shot Into Air During Boston Brawl

BOSTON, MA — A South Boston man was convicted of first-degree murder today for the 2010 homicide of 25-year-old Luis Montanez as he stood on the periphery of a fistfight outside a bar, Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said.

After two days of deliberations, jurors convicted Charlie Brea, 32, of first-degree murder and unlawful possession of a firearm. Brea faces a mandatory term of life in prison at a sentencing hearing scheduled for next week.

“Luis Montanez wasn’t in the wrong place at the wrong time,” Conley said. “He went out with friends on a Friday night like anyone else. Tragically, he paid with his life for another man’s choices to carry a gun and fire it into a crowd. More than seven years later, I hope Mr. Montanez’ loved ones can find some satisfaction in knowing the jury held the defendant accountable for those choices and their outcome.”

Assistant District Attorney Masai King, chief of the DA’s Major Felony Bureau, proved during six days of testimony that Brea was among a group at the Breezeway Bar and Grill in the early morning hours of Oct. 23, 2010. Brea left the bar shortly before 1:45 am, followed a few minutes later by his friends.

Montanez, a resident of the South End, arrived at the Breezeway with two friends at about 1:46 am and smoked a cigarette outside – ending up on the outskirts of a fistfight that erupted among members of Brea’s group and another group. Montanez was not a combatant in that fight, and none of those involved used or displayed a weapon.

Brea drew a .22 caliber semiautomatic handgun and fired it at least three times into the group of people fighting. Montanez was struck in the head, suffering injuries that claimed his life at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

Brea flew to the Dominican Republic after the incident. He remained there until last year, when he was apprehended and extradited to the US through the efforts of the Boston Police Fugitive Unit and US Marshals Service.

Sentencing is scheduled for 9 a.m. Tuesday morning.

Photo of Luis Montanez courtesy District Attorney's office.