An 18-year-old from Lawrence faced indictment Wednesday for a fatal shooting that played out in the early hours on Worcester State University grounds in October, as per Worcester County District Attorney Joseph D. Early Jr. Kevin Rodriguez, accused of murder and illegal firearm possession, is slated to appear before Worcester Superior Court on January 12, 2024, for his arraignment.
The deadly encounter unfolded shortly before dawn, around 2:30 a.m., on October 28, drawing Worcester State University Police to a scene marred by violence, where they discovered two young men, perforated with bullets. Two men, including the deceased 19-year-old Southbridge native, Randy Armando Melendez Jr., were whisked away to hospital; Melendez succumbed to his injuries while the second, a 21-year-old man, was left battling paralysis.
In the wake of this tragedy, neither the victims nor those indicted held ties to the university as students, an intricate detail that paints a portrait of how violence often spills over, indifferent to the boundaries of academe. The shooting reportedly sparked amidst a confrontation between two groups—now a fateful meeting that left wounds far deeper than those inflicted by the gunfire.
Also grappling with the legal aftermath are Richard Nieves, 19, and Kenneth Doelter, 20, shackled by charges of armed robbery and aggravated kidnapping in relation to the events preceding the shooting of the 21-year-old man. Nieves, from Spencer, faces an additional slew of charges including armed assault with intent to murder, and the illegal possession of a loaded firearm, as does Doelter of Southbridge. Their dates in court await on the horizon, according to a statement obtained by the Massachusetts State Police News.
The investigation relentlessly weaves on through the efforts of multiple law enforcement outfits: Worcester Police, Worcester State University Police, Massachusetts State Police Detective Unit for Worcester County, State Police Crime Scene Services Section, and the State Police Firearms Identification Section, each nose-to-the-ground in the search for verity. At the helm of the prosecution stand Assistant District Attorneys Terry McLaughlin, Lina Pashou, and Timothy Westerman, beacons of justice in the murky aftermath of such a senseless act.
