Crime

Dorchester man gets 28 years for attempting to kill witness

October 29, 2016

1 minute to read

A Dorchester man was sentenced on Thursday to 28 years in prison and five years of supervised release for attempting to kill a witness who he thought was talking to federal authorities about his involvement in a multi-state sex trafficking ring.

In June, Jaquan Casanova, 24, was convicted of tampering with a witness by attempting to kill him and lying to a federal agent about his involvement in the criminal organization. Prosecutors said Casanova shot Darian Thomson in the head at close range in 2013 to keep him from interacting with law enforcement officials.

“Mr. Casanova attempted to take a man’s life in order to ensure his silence,” U.S. Attorney Carmen Ortiz said in a statement. “Witness tampering not only impacts a criminal case, it shakes the very core of our justice system. Witnesses play a critical role in the government’s ability to hold criminals accountable and often times bring closure to victims. This sentence demonstrates the strength of the legal system to hold violent individuals accountable for their crimes.”

Casanova falsely believed that Thomson, who was indicted on federal sex trafficking charges in March 2013 and released the next month, was released from custody because he cooperated with authorities over the sex trafficking ring that Casanova was part of, according to Ortiz’s statement.

“Attempting to coerce the legal system through intimidation and murder has very serious consequences, as Mr. Casanova is now finding out,” said Matthew Etre, the special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigation Boston. “Thankfully, Mr. Casanova’s attempt to silence what he thought was a federal witness to the criminal activities of this notorious gang failed.”