WORCESTER, MA — A Worcester man was sentenced this week after officials say he killed two brothers outside a Grafton Street business in 2021.
Christopher Burns, 42, was sentenced Tuesday to two consecutive life sentences without parole for the fatal shootings of Marcus A. Thibodeau, 27, and James M. Johnson, 35, according to Worcester County District Attorney Joseph D. Early Jr.
Burns was convicted by a Worcester Superior Court jury on June 9 of two counts of first-degree murder, according to the DA's office. The brothers were shot Dec. 8, 2021, outside the former Diamond Inn on Grafton Street.
Thibodeau and Johnson were outside the Grafton Street bar near 2 a.m. after celebrating Thibodeau’s 27th birthday when they were shot. Worcester police found both men on the sidewalk after the shooting, and they were later pronounced dead at a hospital, Patch previously reported.
Prosecutors first said the brothers were killed in a case of mistaken identity and had no prior interaction or connection with Burns, according to the DA.
Burns had been arrested at his home April 13, 2022, on murder charges and gun law violations, Patch reported. He was arraigned that day in Worcester District Court and held without bail. A Worcester County grand jury indicted him Sept. 29, 2022.
The Diamond Inn also closed after the shooting and later reopened under new ownership as Beth’s On Grafton Hill.
“While nothing can undo the pain suffered by Marcus and James’ loved ones, I hope today’s sentence provides them with a measure of justice,” DA Early said in a statement.
DA Early also thanked the Worcester Police Department, Assistant District Attorneys Timothy Westerman and Michael Travers and Victim Witness Advocate Maria Deyette for their work on the case.
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