Crime

17-year-old charged with murder in 19-year-old woman’s death

The suspect allegedly fatally stabbed Cyndell Rodriguez.

updated on August 23, 2021

1 minute to read

A 17-year-old girl has been arrested and charged with stabbing another young woman to death Thursday night in Chelsea.

The suspect, who hasn’t been publicly identified, is being charged with first-degree murder in the death of 19-year-old Cyndell Rodriguez, Chelsea police said. The suspect was scheduled to be arraigned on Monday in Chelsea District Court.

By talking to witnesses and collecting evidence, police believe that around 9:10 p.m., the suspect and Rodriguez were involved in a physical fight in front of 50 Garfield Ave. The suspect allegedly had a knife, and stabbed Rodriguez to death, police said. Initially, Chelsea Police Chief Brian Kyes had said the victim was shot to death.

A GoFundMe fundraiser has been set up to help cover Rodriguez’s funeral costs.

“Whether she was laughing, dancing, being goofy, Cyndell brought so much joy into so many of our lives,” the page reads.

The page notes that it was “senseless violence” that took Rodriguez’s life.

“Cyndell always showed up to support the people she loved and we hope you can show up to support her and our family as well,” the fundraiser says. As of Monday afternoon, the GoFundMe had raised over $17,700 with a stated goal of $25,000.

Authorities are also still searching for another person of interest, who allegedly shot a gun several times at the scene, and took off on foot. The investigation is ongoing, police said.

Anyone who may have information about the incident is asked to call Chelsea police detectives at (617) 466-4880, or by using the department’s anonymous tip line by calling the same number, or by texting “Chelsea” to “TIP411” or “847411.”