Brockton Man Convicted In Fatal Hammer Attack On Pastor

BROCKTON (AP) — A Brockton man has been convicted of using a hammer to bludgeon a 74-year-old Pentecostal minister to death as he was riding his bicycle to his daughter's home.

Carlos Ramon Velazquez was convicted Thursday of first-degree murder in the August 2013 death of Lee Harmon. He was sentenced to life in prison.

Prosecutors say Harmon, known for his good deeds, handing out prayer cards, and riding around the city, was killed with the hammer he was bringing to his daughter's home to help her with a household chore.

The beating was so severe that the hammer head broke from the wooden handle.

Prosecutors say the two men had some sort of confrontation before the killing, but what sparked it remained unclear.

Investigators found Velazquez's keys and DNA at the scene.