Police seek clues in 1988 ‘very violent’ murder of man in Lynn

LYNN – On a fall evening in September 1988, Richard McBride traveled to Lynn to meet a friend, but his short stay ended in murder after he was savagely chased down Whiting Street and shot execution style.It was a fairly warm and calm Sunday night, according to Lynn Police Captain Mark O’Toole, when McBride, 26, of Brighton was murdered on Sept. 11.”He was visiting people at 61 Whiting St., but took a walk to use a phone at a convenience store on Western Avenue and was apparently pursued by someone on his way back,” he said. “It was a very personal crime and a very violent crime where the suspect had the intention of killing him.”At approximately 8:45 p.m., O’Toole pinpointed McBride as talking to someone outside of the store, when he suddenly began to run down the street with the suspect in pursuit. He didn’t make it very far before he was shot in the back, causing him to fall face-first in the middle of the road.As he lay there bleeding, the suspect fired one more shot into the back of McBride’s head at close range. Police found him dead at the scene in a puddle of blood.”It’s possible that it was drug-related, possible that he was robbed or that someone took the time to settle an old score,” O’Toole said. “For whatever reason, the suspect wanted to kill him.”Although his son had a criminal record, McBride’s father, John, 78, said his son was a caring, affectionate person who shared a deep bond with his family and friends.”He had a problem with drugs, but if it wasn’t for the drugs, he was deep down a good kid,” he said. “He really cared about people and was always helping them out ? the life he led was deceiving.”The last memory John has of his son is giving him a ride to Lynn. He said he doesn’t remember who invited his son and doesn’t recall him having gone to Lynn before.”That night I got a call saying he was murdered,” he said. “It’s the call that no one wants to get. I’m just baffled by it because everybody that ever dealt with him, loved him, except for one person evidently.”One piece to the puzzle that John does remember is that his son had just cashed a check that day and was carrying a couple hundred dollars in his wallet.”I’m assuming that someone robbed him, it had to be something like that because people don’t just go around killing other people,” he said.McBride lived at home with his parents and was the baby of the family with two older sisters and a brother. He graduated from Brighton High School and worked with a moving company, but lived a troubled lifestyle, according to his father.”I’ve had a tough time coping with this, but after 23 years, you have to learn to cope with it,” he said. “I hope before I go, that the person who did this is brought to justice.”O’Toole said a runner was in the area of the incident at the time and that two young children witnessed the murder unfold from a window in their home.”Their parents wouldn’t let them talk at the time, but years later, they came forward and gave their statements,” he said. “They were accurate, but nothing came of it.”Varying descriptions have been made of the suspect, some saying he was a light-skinned black male, others saying he was white. Since there isn’t a firm description of the suspect, O’Toole is seeking help from the public.Anyone with information about this cold case is urged to call the Lynn Police at 781-595-2000. Anonymous tips can also be submitted by texting the word tiplynn and the information to tip411 or 847411. In addition, tips can be submitted through the department’s website, www.lynnpolice.org, and clicking the submit tip icon.