Grandson charged with murder in connection with grandmother’s shooting death

When Anthony Davis allegedly exchanged gunfire with Dane Henry near his 74-year-old grandmother’s Mattapan home in April, the two were believed to be trying to kill each other.Yet, when it was over, Eleanor Maloney, Davis’s grandmother, was the one shot to death, a victim who had nothing to do with the incident, authorities say.“I can’t speak for Mr. Davis,” Suffolk County District Attorney Rachael Rollins said in a press conference Monday. “I can’t imagine he ever would’ve wanted his grandmother to die.”Davis, 37, was arraigned on first-degree murder, and other charges, Monday morning. Henry also faces a murder charge, according to Rollins. Two other men are also being charged in connection with Maloney’s murder: Chinonso Nwosu is charged with tampering with evidence and being an accessory after the fact, Khamal Watson with witness intimidation.Authorities aren’t sure who fired the shot that killed Maloney on April 6; Assistant District Attorney Masai King said the bullet exited the victim’s body and wasn’t found. Both face murder charges under “the theory of transferred intent,” he said.“The intent was between the two individuals, meaning Henry and Davis were trying to murder one another,” he said. “And because Eleanor Maloney was an innocent victim, the law allows us to charge them with her murder even though the intent was not to kill her.”It isn’t clear if Davis and Henry knew each other, King said. It allegedly started out as an argument. Maloney, along with other members of the family, were outside of her home when the incident broke out.Davis was also charged with unlawful possession of a firearm and being an armed career criminal a couple of days after the shooting.When asked about Davis’s record, Rollins said the focus has been on the incident, and that any other interactions he’s had with the court system are “irrelevant.” “We had to bring that up regarding the arraignment today and our bail request,” she said.Rollins later reiterated this in a series of tweets.

Individuals with no record can do horrific things that result in far more mayhem and death than what we’re seeing today — we’ve seen this happen in many other circumstances.

— Rachael Rollins (@DARollins) August 26, 2019

“Part of why we are focused on spending less time on non-violent crimes and less-serious crimes is we want all of our attention on the non-fatal shootings and the homicides that we have,” Rollins said. “I want the community to hear that people will be held accountable when they have guns, when they’re shooting into our communities. … I really do believe this woman was robbed of her life. This is not a loss of life, it’s a robbery.”

Rollins said the incident has been “particularly heinous” for Maloney’s family.

“They’ve lost their grandmother, and one of their relatives has been charged with her murder,” she said. “I can’t imagine the pain and hurt that they are experiencing, and I offer them my sincere condolences.”  

Watch the full press conference:

https://www.facebook.com/SuffolkDistrictAttorney/videos/527737191364616/

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