Jury Convicts Moore In 2010 Mattapan Quadruple Slaying

A Boston man was convicted Monday of killing four people, including a 2-year-old boy, during a drug-related robbery in Boston's Mattapan neighborhood in 2010.

Dwayne Moore was convicted during his second trial. Moore's first trial ended with a hung jury, and a second suspect was acquitted.

The 35-year-old Moore was found guilty of four counts of first-degree murder for the fatal shootings. He was also convicted of home invasion and armed robbery, but was acquitted of three other charges.

Amanihotep Smith was the youngest of the victims in the deadly Sept. 28, 2010, drug robbery. And his was the name called by Suffolk County District Attorney Dan Conley in reaction to the verdict.

"It's now time to reflect on those lives, those very young lives, especially young Amani Smith, here in this season after what we just saw in Connecticut not far to our south," Conley said. "As we mourn those losses, we mourn the four people who lost their lives in Mattapan in a mass murder of its own."

The shadow of Friday's horrific murders in Connecticut had prompted Moore's defense attorney, earlier Monday, to ask Judge Jeffrey Locke to issue special instructions to the jury.

"The nation is mourning over the loss of 20 thoroughly innocent lives," Locke told jurors. "While I'm sure that you, as every American citizen, has been in some way affected by the events that occurred in Newtown, Conn., please put them out of your mind entirely in your deliberations on this case."

Deliberations that appeared headed for a mistrial around midday when the jury said it was at an impasse because one juror had ceased to cooperate. The judge urged them to continue and several hours later they had their decisions.

In addition to guilty on murder charges, the jury found Moore not guilty of illegal possession of a firearm and charges related to the shooting of the lone survivor, Marcus Hurd.

"This was a tough case," Conley said, "this was a hard case for the jurors, and I don't know what their reasoning was. We felt the evidence was strong and compelling that Dwayne Moore fired the shot into Marcus Hurd's head and we would have expected a guilty verdict on that."

Moore's defense attorney, John Amabile, said he will appeal the guilty verdicts.

"I'm very disappointed, but I have deep respect for the system of justice and for this jury," Amabile said. "I don't think they made the right decision, but I'm not going to say anything more about it."

On Woolson Street, where the victims were found dead two years ago, resident Michelle Joseph reacted to news of the guilty verdicts.

"At least somebody is going to jail for it, because it was just sickening," she said. "Unfortunately they all couldn't be found guilty, but at least one of them is."

Moore faces mandatory life in prison without parole when he's sentenced Tuesday. At Tuesday morning's hearing, he'll also face the victim's relatives, who'll deliver impact statements before the court.

Two prosecution witnesses testified under cooperation agreements. Kimani Washington, who said he provided guns and was there for the robbery but left before anyone was shot, will serve 16-18 years in prison for lesser charges. His brother, Charles Washington, tied to the case by fingerprint evidence, will not face prosecution. Their cousin, Edward Washington, was acquitted in the first trial earlier this year.

This post was updated with Morning Edition feature content. With additional reporting by The Associated Press