A Dorchester woman will spend 15 to 20 years in state prison after admitting to fatally stabbing a young mother on Boston Common in 2023. On Wednesday, 33-year-old Alyssa Partsch pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of manslaughter in Suffolk County Superior Court for the killing of 21-year-old Jazreanna Sheppard, as per NBC Boston.
Courtroom plea and sentence
The courtroom was packed as Judge Mary Ames accepted a joint sentencing recommendation and handed down the 15-to-20-year sentence. Calling the killing “senseless,” she addressed Partsch directly before imposing the prison term. Suffolk District Attorney Kevin Hayden praised Sheppard’s family for what he described as their “heart‑rendering expression” of loss, according to NBC Boston.
How prosecutors say the attack unfolded
Authorities say the violence erupted late on the night of July 20, 2023, around 11:30 p.m. near the Brewer Fountain on Boston Common. According to investigators, Sheppard and a friend were in the area when Partsch approached them. Surveillance video reviewed by police shows Partsch walking up to Sheppard and stabbing her multiple times. Sheppard was rushed to a hospital, where she later died. Partsch was arrested several months later, in November 2023, following the investigation, as detailed by Boston Police.
How an online feud turned real
Investigators say the two women had never met in person before that night but had been clashing online. Prosecutors allege Partsch and Sheppard traded heated social media messages, including threats and efforts by Partsch to draw Sheppard into a physical fight. That digital back-and-forth, and how it spilled onto Boston Common, was previously laid out by The Boston Globe.
Legal note
Under the plea agreement, Partsch waived her right to a jury trial and accepted a reduced manslaughter charge, paired with the joint recommendation of 15 to 20 years in state prison. A trial had been scheduled for later this month, but the case was resolved when both sides reached the deal and Judge Ames signed off, according to NBC Boston.
