The legal process has concluded in a double homicide case in Fall River, where 23-year-old Jeremy Holmes has been sentenced to 50 years to life in prison for two counts of first-degree murder. The sentence was issued by the court last Friday. Holmes was 18 years old at the time of the incident, which occurred on May 18, 2021, near Fifth and Branch Streets, close to Griffin Park in Fall River’s Corky Row neighborhood. According to a statement obtained by Boston.com, Holmes was convicted after a jury trial in November 2024.
Among the victims was Jovaughn Mills, 29, who suffered a fatal gunshot wound to the chest and later died at St. Anne’s Hospital. The second victim, a 14-year-old boy named Miguel Sanjurjo, as reported by MassLive, succumbed to a shot to the abdomen and was pronounced dead at Charlton Memorial Hospital. A third victim, an unnamed man, survived after being shot in the calf. The assailant was apprehended with the help of witness accounts and surveillance footage that showed him to brazenly open fire in a crowded park during daylight hours.
Bristol County District Attorney Thomas Quinn III was quoted stating, "He killed two individuals and wounded a third." He further added, "Just because you are under the age of 21 does not mean you should not be held fully accountable for premeditated murder and the potential for additional deaths or serious injury for the outrageous and lawless conduct of the defendant," in a statement obtained by Boston.com.
The court sentenced Holmes to two consecutive terms of 25 years to life for the murders, along with a concurrent sentence of four to five years for a firearms charge. He is eligible for parole based on a 2024 court ruling that mandates parole eligibility for defendants convicted of first-degree murder who were under 21 at the time of the offense. This ruling addresses sentencing requirements for younger offenders in serious criminal cases.
