Boston law enforcement announced Monday that an accused fentanyl dealer arrested by federal agents over the weekend is also charged with the broad daylight murder of a 13-year-old boy last month.
Csean Alexander Skerritt, who federal prosecutors say also goes by "Shizz Grimmy" or "Black," was charged through an arrest warrant Monday for the murder of 13-year-old Tyler Lawrence of Norwood.
The teen was discovered with multiple gunshot wounds Jan. 29 at 11:32 a.m. in the area of 119 Babson Street in Mattapan, Massachusetts, where the middle schooler was reportedly staying with his grandparents. He was pronounced dead at the scene, the Boston Police Department said.
"There is still a lot we do not know about this terrible crime. It’s still an ongoing investigation," Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden said at a press conference Monday. "But we do know that a 13-year-old was gunned down on a city street on an early Sunday afternoon. And we know that a monstrous event has shaken our city to its core.
"As I’ve stated before, we must draw no assumptions about Tyler Lawrence from the evil intent of the shooter in this case," he added. "Our best reflections of Tyler should be drawn from yesterday from the words and presence of so many who turned out for his memorial. Their attestations truly captured the essence of Tyler and the tragedy of his loss."
Skerritt, 34, of Boston, was arrested Sunday and charged with a drug distribution offense involving fentanyl, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts. FBI Boston's SWAT team took Skerritt, an alleged associate of the Morse Street gang, into custody Sunday for allegedly distributing 40 grams or more of fentanyl.
The arrest came as a result of the FBI’s Metro Boston Gang Task Force's investigation.
According to the charging documents, on Feb. 1, Skerritt agreed to sell 50 grams of fentanyl to an individual in exchange for $1,500. It is alleged that, following a series of communications, Skerritt met the individual at an arranged location. There, Skerritt allegedly entered the individual’s car and provided approximately 55 grams of fentanyl in exchange for the agreed-upon amount.
The charge of distribution of 40 grams or more of fentanyl provides for a sentence of at least five years and up to 40 years in prison, at least four years of supervised release and a fine of up to $5 million, federal prosecutors said.
Skerritt was arraigned on the federal drug charges Monday in United States Federal Court in Boston.
He will be arraigned on first-degree murder and weapons-related charges in the near future, Hayden said at Monday's press conference.