Yesterday's verdict marked a somber conclusion to a violent episode that shook the Everett community nearly five years ago. In a statement provided by the Middlesex District Attorney's Office, Charles Demos of Rochester, New Hampshire, and David Landry of Everett were found guilty by a jury in the Middlesex Superior Court. The pair faced charges stemming from the fatal shooting of Jarrod Harris outside the Karma Lounge in 2019. According to the District Attorney's Office, the confrontation that climaxed with a man's life taken before the break of dawn was a scene tragically familiar to modern urban landscapes – one where an altercation quickly spiraled into deadly confrontation.
Demos and Landry's confrontation with Harris began as he was trying to leave the club shortly after 1:00 a.m., escalating quickly from verbal aggression to dangerous physical violence. The altercation eventually led to Demos retrieving a firearm with Landry's assistance and fatally shooting Harris as he attempted to flee. "Jarrod Harris was assaulted by the defendants as he and many others left a popular club. When he attempted to flee his assailants the defendants gave chase through the crowd with Demos firing his gun multiple times. This brazen act of violence resulted in Harris being gunned down and put many innocent people at risk," District Attorney Marian Ryan stated.
The subsequent flight of the two men further led to an extensive investigation by the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office, Everett Police Department, and Massachusetts State Police Detectives assigned to the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office. After a ten-day trial, the jury returned their verdict, convicting Demos of first-degree murder and possession of a firearm. His companion, Landry, was found guilty of first degree murder, possession of a firearm and assault with a dangerous weapon. The judgment now brings a long-awaited sense of justice for the family and friends of Jarrod Harris, though the healing from such a traumatic event is often a process that no verdict can expediently mend.
Both defendants have now been held to account for their crimes and are scheduled to be sentenced on August 8, 2024, at 2:00 p.m. in courtroom 530. The efforts of "Good Samaritans" at the scene, who tried to intervene and later provided first aid, underscore the courage found in the community even amidst harrowing events. As Harris was transported to Massachusetts General Hospital where he would ultimately be pronounced dead, the story of that night in Everett becomes anchored not just in the violence that took his life, but also in the selfless actions of those who strove to preserve it.
