Man charged in 2015 cold case murder of young mother outside Massachusetts nightclub
EVERETT - An arrest has been made in the cold case murder of a young mother outside an Everett nightclub back in 2015.
Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan said 27-year-old Henry "JR" Del-Rio faces numerous charges, including first degree murder and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, in the death of 21-year-old Ashlee Berryman of Malden.
Ryan said Berryman, who was the mother of a 3-year-old boy, was at the Braza Bar and Grill in August 2015 to watch her boyfriend perform in a concert. Family members said she was outside in the parking lot handing out CDs when she was shot.
Ryan said after the concert, Del-Rio was in the parking lot with a group associated with Chelsea's East Side Money gang, who he is also allegedly a part of. Two men got into an argument with members of his group and as they left, Del-Rio allegedly took out a pistol and fired nine times into the crowd.
Berryman, who Ryan said was an innocent bystander, was shot in the back and killed. One of the men who got into the argument with Del-Rio's group was also shot in the ankle. Other bullets struck a city sign, the roof of a car and shattered the window of a Rite Aid across the street.
According to witnesses, Del-Rio made statements in the days after the shooting saying he was involved. There was also allegedly discussions with the group about disposing of the murder weapon, which has never been recovered.
"Today's charges are yet another example of how this [Cold Case Unit] is ensuring that those who commit violent acts in this county understand that the mere passage of time will do nothing to affect our resolve in pursuing them," said Ryan in a statement.
Ryan said it was the "persistence of investigators" that led to Del Rio, who is currently in federal custody on separate charges.
"Her family has waited over eight years for the answers as to what happened," said Ryan. "And the community of Everett, left shaken and afraid, by the fact that this took place in a very public place, now knows the circumstances of what took place as a result of the work done in this case."
