BOSTON — A jury on Thursday acquitted one man in the execution-style slayings of three adults and a toddler on a Boston street and deadlocked on murder charges against another.
Edward Washington was cleared of all charges against him, including four charges of murder. Dwayne Moore was cleared of a drug charge, but the judge declared a mistrial after the jury deadlocked on the other charges against him, including murder.
After the verdicts were read against Washington, two women were removed from the courtroom by officers after an outburst, and others followed them. Other onlookers buried their heads in their hands, or shook their heads and cried.
The verdict came after seven days of deliberations after a month-long trial in the September 2010 slayings, which prosecutors said happened during a drug robbery on a street in Boston’s Mattapan neighborhood.
Washington and Moore were charged with killing 2-year-old Amani Smith, who was found in the arms of his mother, 21-year-old Eyanna Flonory.
Also slain were Flonory’s boyfriend, 21-year-old Simba Martin, and Levaughn Washum-Garrison, 22. A fifth victim, Marcus Hurd, survived the shooting.
Defense lawyers challenged the credibility of the prosecution’s key witness, Kimani Washington, who admitted taking part in the robbery, but said he left before the shootings.
Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel Conley said he will retry Moore.
Front Section, Pages 8 on 03/23/2012