Crime & Safety
Man Reaches Plea Agreement In 2016 Shooting Death Of Salem Man
Xavier Collazo, 21, of Roxbury, was sentenced Tuesday to 15 to 17 years in state prison.
SALEM, MA -- A man who had been facing life in prison for the 2016 killing of a Salem man was sentenced Tuesday to 15 to 17 years in prison after agreeing to plead guilty to manslaughter. Xavier Collazo, 21, of Roxbury, admitted to shooting and killing 27-year-old Benjamin Magee on March 31, 2016. The shooting occurred during a degree deal outside of a Park Street apartment.
Magee had gone along with a friend who wanted to buy crack from Collazo. During a dispute over money, Collazo drew a gun, and in the ensuing moments shot Magee. "I'll never get to see the man he could have been," Magee's aunt said in a written victim impact statement that was read into the record.
Subscribe to Salem Patch for more local news and real-time alerts.
Find out what's happening in Salemfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Patch file photo via Shutterstock.
Dave Copeland can be reached at dave.copeland@patch.com or by calling 617-433-7851. Follow him on Twitter (@CopeWrites) and Facebook (/copewrites).
Find out what's happening in Salemfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
