A Medford man, Jessie Williams, 34, has found himself on the wrong side of the law once again after a jury convicted him for the 2013 murder of Joseph Puopolo Jr., a U.S. Army veteran. According to the Middlesex County District Attorney's office, Williams was found guilty on March 20, 2024, of first degree murder and a slew of related charges including armed robbery and illegal firearm possession.
The road to justice for the fallen veteran, has been long and twisted with the case seeing a retrial after Williams' initial conviction was overturned in 2021, due to a juror being replaced improperly. In a grisly incident that unfolded on July 3, 2013 Stoneham Police were called to a scene of violence where two men were left with gunshot wounds, one of whom, was Puopolo, who later succumbed to his injuries at Lahey Clinic.
Williams and his accomplice, and cousin, Eugene Tate, had masqueraded as potential marijuana purchasers before pulling guns for a premeditated robbery. As reported by the Middlesex County District Attorney's Office, the fatal encounter led to Puopolo's death and left his friend seriously wounded.
“Joseph Puopolo, Jr. was the victim of a senseless, violent robbery that was driven by greed. The defendant in this case came to meet his victims armed and prepared use violence if he met resistance. This case exemplifies our commitment to the families of victims even when a decade may have passed and court rulings require us to revisit a case,” Meanwhile, Tate had already been served his fate with a conviction for first-degree murder back in 2015, resulting in a life sentence without parole. Williams' sentencing, is slated for the coming Monday, will mark the final chapter in a pursuit of justice that has lasted over a decade.
Stoneham and Massachusetts State Police, in conjunction with the Middlesex District Attorney's Office, were the forces behind the investigation leading to these convictions. Assistant District Attorneys David Solet and Jamie Charles led the prosecution, with Jill Feeney serving as the Victim Witness Advocate. Williams awaits his sentencing in Middlesex Superior Court at 2:00 p.m. in courtroom 540.
