BILLERICA — A Lynn man on the Massachusetts State Police Most Wanted list was charged with first degree murder and held without bail in Middlesex Superior Court Wednesday.
Steven C. Touch, 28, was allegedly found hiding inside a drawer built into a bed frame at 108 Empire St. around 7:30 p.m. by Lynn, Revere, and State police officers on Tuesday night.
He was charged with murder in the first degree, home invasion, attempt to commit armed robbery and two counts of conspiracy, and held without bail by Clerk Magistrate Michael Sullivan.
Touch, the alleged leader of the violent Young Bloods street gang operating in the Lynn area, and two co-defendants were indicted in June 2017 by a Middlesex County grand jury for the homicide of 22-year-old Quintin Koehler during a home invasion on the morning of July 7, 2012 in Billerica.
Sophan Keo and Gabriel Arias were previously arrested but Touch remained at large. Last September, the Massachusetts State Police Violent Fugitive Apprehension Section added him to its list of Most Wanted fugitives.
He has three additional warrants for charges that include possession of a firearm with a defaced serial number, possession of a large capacity firearm, and carrying a loaded firearm. He was also wanted on a federal Unlawful Flight to Avoid Prosecution warrant.
He was added to the Massachusetts State Police Violent Fugitive Apprehension Section’s list of Most Wanted fugitives in September 2017.
State troopers, FBI agents, and local police officers searched intensively for 5-foot, 7-inch, 220-pound man, who was believed to be moving from address to address fairly frequently. Once they realized he was on Empire Street, they obtained a warrant. The Massachusetts State Police Special Tactical Operations Team, a specialized entry and high-risk arrest unit, made entry to the residence and located and apprehended Touch.
The next scheduled hearing in the case is March 23.
