Teen held for felony murder

LYNN – An 18-year-old city man is dead and his 17-year-old best friend is held without bail on a felony murder charge after police said the two tried to rob a man at gunpoint and the robbery victim fatally shot the elder teen.”It is not alleged (the defendant) pulled the trigger,” Essex Assistant District Attorney Kate MacDougall said in Lynn District Court Thursday.Rather, MacDougall said the victim was shot “in the course of committing an armed robbery and armed home invasion … the homeowner, a licensed holder of a firearm, was the one who shot the victim.”But because the defendant participated in the alleged armed robbery, he can be criminally liable for any deaths that occurred while committing that felony, according to District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett’s Office.Jahleel Sanders Williams, 17, of 19 Lovett Place, was arraigned Thursday in Lynn District Court on charges of attempt to commit a crime, armed robbery; and felony murder.Williams was charged in connection with the death of Amoy Blake, 18, in the first-floor hallway at 192 Washington St. at 12:30 a.m. Wednesday.MacDougall and defense attorney Edward Hayden did not discuss many details of the case in open court, agreeing that Williams would be held without bail.But police reported responding to the Washington Street address after a person called 911 and said he had just shot someone who had a shotgun, according to a report by Lynn Police Sgt. Timothy Hallisey.Police arrived at the scene and found Blake in the hallway, bleeding badly and with a shotgun under his left arm, police said. Blake was taken to Union Hospital where he died from his injuries. The 911 caller, a 24-year-old city man, was also on scene. The man later told police he and a friend were returning home when a person, later identified as Blake, put a shotgun to his head and forced him inside the building, according to police.The 24-year-old man – who had a legal license to carry and a .357 magnum in his pocket – told police Blake turned to speak to people behind him. The man then took his gun out and shot three or four times at Blake, who fell to the ground. Police reported Blake appeared to have been shot in the upper chest near his left shoulder and in the lower left chest.The friend of the 24-year-old man said a suspect who put a gun to his head ran when shots were fired.Police learned Blake and Williams had been together that night and interviewed Williams, who was present with an adult relative since he is a minor. (State law requires juveniles charged with murder to be tried as adults, however).Williams told police he and Blake had planned to rob a marijuana dealer and that Blake brought the shotgun to the attempted robbery but he (Williams) was unarmed. Williams told police he saw Blake approach the robbery victim, heard several gunshots and ran. Police reported recovering a second gun at the scene but did not report if they identified its owner.The incident remains under investigation by Massachusetts State Police assigned to the Essex District Attorney’s Office and the Lynn Police.Judge Cathleen Campbell ordered Williams held without bail and scheduled him to return to court May 19.Blake’s and Williams’ immediate family members declined to comment after the arraignment. However, friends of both teens said the two were good kids who got into the wrong crowd and succumbed to peer pressure.”He was a good kid, loved by a lot of people,” Kevin Carter said of Blake. “It’s sad, it’s really sad. He will be missed.”Carter said he was also friends with Williams and that his praise of one teen could apply equally to the other.”What people are claiming (Williams) to be is not right,” Carter continued. “He didn’t kill his friend and he was no gangbanger …We need more stuff for these kids to do, then they won’t be looking for things to do on the streets.”Williams’ cousin Tyler McFadden agreed.”He’s a good kid, not bad at all,” McFadden said. “It’s hard out there.”