A nearly three-decade-old murder case has come back to bitterly haunt two men, with murder indictments handed to them for the fatal shooting of a teen in Fitchburg in 1993. The Worcester County District Attorney's office announced Friday that Robert D’Lucca, 49, and Lawrence Calafell, 51, will be facing charges once more. D'Lucca, who was charged at the time of the crime but not tried, has been doing time in New York at Sing Sing Correctional Facility on a separate case, while Calafell was apprehended following the cold case indictment.
The two are accused of gunning down 15-year-old Deondray Atwood on November 25, 1993, in a car ambush on Daniels Street that tragically ended his life. In addition to the murder charge, the duo are to also stand trial for armed assault with intent to murder, among other charges. According to the Worcester County District Attorney Joseph D. Early Jr, one passenger was also wounded in what unfolded as a horrific attack, while the driver escaped physically unharmed.
D’Lucca, unable to be tried back then due to his arrest on unrelated murder charges in New York, will be brought back to Massachusetts to finally face the music in court. On the other hand, Calafell was nabbed without incident by the Massachusetts State Police Violent Fugitive Apprehension Section in Fitchburg, the DA's office detailed.
Both men have been indicted on multiple charges including assault with a dangerous weapon and illegal firearm possession. Calafell is expected swiftly to be arraigned today in Worcester Superior Court and confront his past actions head-on. D'Lucca's arraignment, on the other hand, will be scheduled for a future date. The perseverance of the Fitchburg Police Department and Massachusetts State Police Detectives working with the Worcester County DA's Office has led to this indictment, reigniting a decades-old quest for justice in this cold case.
