Teen arraigned in Boston for O Conghaile murder

BOSTON ---- A teenager was arraigned Monday in Suffolk Superior Court for the murder of Aran Island native Ciaran O Conghaile who was shot to death around midnight on October 10 during what was evidently a botched robbery.

John Graham, a 17-year-old black youth with a history of homelessness and prior trouble with the law, was shielded from courtroom observers as he stood inside a doorway during his appearance.

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Assistant District Attorney Ian Polumbaum told the Clerk Magistrate that O Conghaile, known locally as "Kiwi" Conneely, was walking to his home on Nahant Avenue in Dorchester when he was approached by the gun-wielding Graham.

"Neighbors reported hearing a loud bang shortly after midnight," Polumbaum said.

"Conneely was found at one a.m. a few yards from his residence, dead from a gunshot to the chest."

Police were able to link Graham to the murder after he was arrested for a subsequent armed robbery which occurred on a nearby street on October 30, during which two men were shot, one of whom received life-threatening injuries

Video surveillance footage from the October 30 incident led police to Graham, who had allegedly boasted to friends about both incidents. Ballistics results determined that the same gun was used in both attempted robberies.

Graham pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and to an assortment of related charges. He is being held without bail. A pre-trial hearing is set for March 6. His trial is expected to begin in January 2013.

 

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