Man Already Being Questioned In Lynn Shooting Charged In North Andover Rape, Robbery
NORTH ANDOVER (CBS) – A man who was already in police custody being questioned in the Monday shooting death of a pizza delivery driver in Lynn is now being charged in a horrific attack in North Andover that took place later that night.
Police said Brian Brito, 21 of Manchester, New Hampshire, went into the Richdale Variety Store on Chickering Road around 10:18 p.m. Monday wearing a mask and brandishing a gun.
They said he ordered the clerk to lock the doors, and then sexually assaulted her in a back room before emptying the cash register and fleeing.
But Brito was already in custody Tuesday and being questioned in the murder of a 24-year-old Lynn pizza delivery driver earlier that night.
Sina Zangiband of Salem, who worked for Atha's Pizza, was shot several times in his car in front of St. Pius Catholic Elementary on Bowler Street.
The exact motive is not yet known, but a friend of the victim told reporters she heard the motive was road rage.
"The girl that works at Atha's that I was text messaging told me that he got cut off," said Katherine Ruiz. "The person just took out a gun and shot him."
Witnesses reported seeing a grey Audi vehicle with New Hampshire plates near the scene. Hours later, State Police troopers spotted a car that fit the reports.
After initially reporting that they had arrested a suspect, the Essex DA's office later clarified that Brito was in custody being questioned in the Lynn murder, but hadn't been charged yet.
"Massachusetts State Police stopped a vehicle matching the description of the one involved in the Lynn fatal shooting last evening on Route 1 South in Peabody," Carrie Kimball-Monahan, a spokeswoman for the Essex D.A., said in a statement Tuesday.
State Police found that Brito was driving with a revoked license and an illegal semiautomatic handgun, and was arrested.
It wasn't until North Andover authorities issued a Be On The Lookout for a suspect that State Police contacted them to say they already had someone in custody that matched their description.
Zangiband's father says the family moved from Iran to find a better life.
"Nice guy, nice boy," Ali Zangiband said. "I don't know why that guy killed him! Why? For what?"
His family told WBZ he held multiple jobs and worked around the clock to support his passions - flying and cars.
"Oh my God, my baby! I can not believe he's not there," his mother Shahin said. "I love him so much."
I hope the person who did this burns in hell and rots in jail," his sister Soma Zangiband said.
Brito is due to be arraigned early next week in Lawrence District Court on charges of masked armed robbery, aggravated rape, and kidnapping.
His face was hidden as he was arraigned in Peabody District Court on the gun and driving charges.
Rebecca Whitehill, Brito's attorney, told WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Ben Parker why his face was hidden.
"If, in any of the allegations, there is an issue as to his identification, we would hate to have his face plastered all over various media," she said.
He'll return to Peabody court for a dangerousness hearing on April 10, and is being held without bail until then.
Brito has not been charged in the Lynn shooting, and all the events of the night are still being investigated by State and North Andover Police with the Essex DA's office.
WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Ben Parker reports
