Raymond Castro, 45, of Dorchester, was sentenced to 11 to 13 years in prison for the manslaughter of Ronald Jamiel Reed, 33, in 2022, along with a non-fatal stabbing during a family event. He will also serve four years of probation for assault and battery with a dangerous weapon. The sentence includes requirements for anger management, drug testing, and substance abuse treatment if needed, as reported by the Suffolk County District Attorney.
On November 21, Castro was sentenced after being convicted by a jury. The conviction followed a violent incident on January 26, 2022, in Roxbury. After an argument at a relative's house, Castro was asked to leave but escalated the situation by stabbing Reed and another man. Reed had tried to help. Castro was armed with a knife and fled the scene. However, his GPS monitoring device helped investigators track him down, leading to his conviction, according to the Suffolk County District Attorney.
At Castro's sentencing, Judge Christopher Belezos emphasized the importance of anger management, drug testing, and therapy for his rehabilitation. Reed's sister gave a moving statement, calling her brother her "savior" and her "hero." She said, "Washing the street in 39-degree weather to clean his blood broke me. Planning his funeral broke me. And raising my son without the best male role model I could have asked for has broken me." District Attorney Hayden, stating, "This survivor’s poignant words make perfectly clear the lifelong impacts of losing a loved one to violence. While the judicial process may end with a conviction and a sentencing, the pain felt by survivors is eternal." Castro’s cousin, involved in the initial dispute, was not physically harmed, as stated by the Suffolk County District Attorney.
