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Woman gets 12-14 years in stabbing death of Chelsea teen
The Winthrop woman pleaded guilty to killing a teenager during an altercation back in 2021.
A Winthrop woman pleaded guilty on Monday to a manslaughter charge in the stabbing death of a 19-year-old teen in Chelsea in 2021, according to the Suffolk County District Attorney’s office.
Ava Najafi, now 20, pleaded guilty to killing Cyndell Rodriguez, 19, of Chelsea, the office said in a press release.
Suffolk Superior Court Judge Mary Ames sentenced Najafi to 12 to 14 years, with credit for time served. Najafi, who was 17 at the time of the stabbing, was held without bail since being arrested the day after the incident.
On Aug. 19, 2021, the Chelsea Police Department responded to the area of Garfield Avenue shortly before 9:30 p.m. On arrival, police found Rodriguez suffering from knife wounds to her throat and chest. First responders rushed Rodriguez to Massachusetts General Hospital, but she died from her injuries.
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Investigators determined that Rodriguez was among a group of people who became involved in an altercation on Garfield Avenue with another group. Najafi was among the people in the second group. Investigators determined that Najafi stabbed Rodriguez during the confrontation.
During the arraignment, former Suffolk District Attorney Rachael Rollins said that while the case was still under investigation, authorities believed social media sparked the altercation, according to The Boston Globe.
Najafi was initially charged with murder in the death of Rodriguez. State law allows teenagers 14 and up who are charged with murder to be charged as adults.
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The attorney for Najafi, Phillip A. Tracy Jr., told the Globe that Najafi is an orphan raised by an aunt and uncle in Winthrop. He said Najafi had no prior criminal history.
“The tragedy in this heartbreaking case extends to everyone directly and indirectly involved,” said District Attorney Kevin Hayden in a statement. “The family and friends of Cyndell Rodriguez forever lost a young woman just starting out in life. Their loss is eternal. But it’s a tragedy for Ava Najafi as well, whose quick and terrible decisions that day ended one life and dramatically altered her own.”
Boston.com was unable to contact Najafi’s attorney prior to publication.
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