Trail on 6-year-old Lynn murder goes cold, frustrating family members

This is the latest in series of stories about cold crime cases in the city of Lynn.LYNN – He kissed his mother goodbye and said he would see her later in the day, but July Grateraux never made it back home.On Feb. 9, 2005, the 18-year-old from Salem traveled to a home at 10 Atlantic St., in Lynn after spending the morning purchasing a car with his cousin. There, in the basement of the home, a struggle ensued, and Grateraux was shot once in the chest by a suspect wielding a shotgun.The savage murder is thought to have stemmed from a cocaine deal gone awry, where Lynn Police Captain Mark O?Toole said the group of suspects were allegedly lying in wait to rob Grateraux.?We don?t know if Grateraux was just accompanying someone in the narcotics transaction or if he was the one selling but, while they were there, other people showed up at the home and it quickly turned into a robbery,” he said.O?Toole said extensive interviews were conducted, and even though the house was flooded with people, there wasn?t enough evidence obtained at the scene to charge anyone with the brutal crime.Now seven years later without even a stitch of new information, Grateraux?s sister, Ana, said she and her mother are desperate for someone to come forward in the case.?He was just a kid trying to live and was doing what he thought was right,” she said between tears. “I understand people might be scared to say what happened, but we need closure. Even if it?s the smallest bit of information, please tell the police so that my brother can rest in peace.”Grateraux, nicknamed “Little J” was born in the Dominican Republic with his sister, and lived there until the age of 3 when he moved to Salem with their mother. There, Grateraux quickly made friends and was a happy child and teenager, according to Ana.But he also had a darker side. He dropped out of Salem High School at 15, met various gang members in juvenile detention and racked up a rap sheet with arrests for armed robbery, larceny and drug offenses.?He had a history of getting into trouble, but he was very popular and was friends with everybody,” Ana Grateraux said. “My mom did the best she could, but she knew he was involved with the wrong crowd.”His high-risk lifestyle undoubtedly contributed to his demise, with Ana Grateraux now pointing the finger at his gangster associates.?He was my only brother, and the way that they took him was just awful,” she said. “There are a bunch of different stories going around, one that they (suspects) were trying to scare him with the gun and didn?t expect to shoot him? but I think they knew what they were going to do to him.”The description of the four to five suspects is vague – Hispanic, or light-skinned black males. Without any new leads, O?Toole said the investigation will be all that more difficult.?There are a good many people who were present that day or who know who?s responsible for the murder,” he said. “We?re hoping they come forward.”Anyone with information on this cold case is urged to contact the Lynn police at 781-595-2000. Anonymous tips can be submitted by texting the word tiplynn and the information to tip411. Tips can also be sent through the department?s website, www.lynnpolice.org and clicking the “submit tip” icon.