Crime & Safety

JP Man Among 3 Indicted In Joint Gun, Opiate Bust

All three are charged as habitual offenders because of their multiple prior felony convictions resulting in state prison terms.

JAMAICA PLAIN, MA — A JP man with a long criminal record was among the three Boston residents indicted by the Suffolk County Grand Jury this week amid a joint investigation into the sale of firearms and narcotics in Boston and Brockton,District Attorney Daniel F. Conley announced.

Vito Gray, 48, of Jamaica Plain, was charged with two counts of distribution of a Class A substance for allegedly selling a total of 20 grams of heroin to a cooperating witness on two dates in June 2017, held on $35,000 cash bail. Gray has prior convictions for assault with intent to murder, armed robbery, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, assault and battery on a police officer, and other offenses.

Terrell Walker, 63, of Brighton, was charged with unlawful sale of a firearm, unlawful possession of a firearm, and unlawful possession of ammunition for allegedly selling a .40 caliber Ruger P89DC handgun and 42 rounds of ammunition to a cooperating witness on Nov. 9, 2016, held on $500,000 cash bail.

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Walker was convicted of first-degree murder in 1973 for shooting Boston Police Detective John Schroeder to death during a robbery; that conviction was later affirmed by the Supreme Judicial Court but reversed on a federal appeal. He later pleaded guilty to manslaughter for that offense and was additionally convicted of armed robbery in Hampden and Middlesex counties.

Dana Brown, 45, of Roxbury, was charged with eight counts of distribution of a Class A substance for allegedly selling a total of 26 grams of heroin to a cooperating witness on eight dates between December 2016 and September 2017, held on $50,000 cash bail.

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Brown has prior convictions for manslaughter, unarmed robbery, escape from a correctional institution, unlawful possession of a firearm, and other offenses.

All three are charged as habitual offenders because of their multiple prior felony convictions resulting in state prison terms, exposing them to the maximum penalties for the indicted charges if found guilty.

Brown, Gray, and Walker were among dozens of individuals identified by local, state, and federal law enforcement as distributing heroin, fentanyl, and firearms in Boston and Brockton during the past 18 months.

The three were indicted Wednesday, arrested this Thursday, and arraigned in Suffolk Superior Court

They are scheduled to return to court on Sept. 7.

See this main story>>>Boston Area Drug, Gun Bust: 29 People Arrested, Charged

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