Marlborough Man Guilty of Murdering Teen in Callahan State Park

WOBURN – A Marlborough man has been found guilty for the 2009 murder of a 17-year-old that occurred in in Framingham, said in a press release today.

Marquise Brown, 20, was found guilty by a Middlesex jury on a charge of first degree murder following a seven-day trial in Middlesex Superior Court in Woburn. He will be sentenced Sept. 26.

“The defendant senselessly shot and killed the victim in broad daylight in a public state park,” Leone said.  “This case is another tragic example of a young person resorting to guns and violence to resolve perceived conflict. We are pleased that the defendant will be held accountable for his actions and that we are able to provide some measure of justice for Tyriffe and his family.”

According to authorities, on June 20, 2009 at approximately 2:15 p.m., and emergency personnel responded to Callahan State Park for a report of a male lying face down in the ground. Officers discovered the victim, Tyriffe Lewis, 17, evidencing gunshot wounds and he was pronounced dead.

Officials immediately launched an investigation and learned on June 19, 2009, the defendant, the victim, and others, were at a party in Marlborough. 

During the evening, Brown put a bag of marijuana and money on the table.  One person removed the money and another took the marijuana and Brown mistakenly believed the victim had stolen both. 

After an exchange of words, a fight ensued between Brown and the victim during which the victim gave the defendant a black eye in front of his friends and family. Immediately after the fight, Brown told others he was going to kill the victim and anyone who snitched on him.

On June 20, Brown, allegedly along with defendant Yessling Gonzalez, 22, who is also facing murder charges in this case and whose case is currently pending, and the victim met up in Marlborough and drove to the park together. 

Gonzalez drove to the park and upon their arrival the three men walked about 100 yards into the woods. Brown produced a semi-automatic handgun and shot the victim twice. The defendants fled the park in Gonzalez’s vehicle.

The case was investigated by the assigned to the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office and Framingham Police.

The Assistant District Attorneys are Christopher Tarrant and Anne Pogue.  The Victim Witness Advocate is Leisa Schymonowytsch.