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Young dancer stabbed to death in Brockton honored with community vigil
Kyre Ambrose graduated from the Boston Arts Academy in 2023 and was a student at The American Musical and Dramatic Academy in Los Angeles.
A young man who was murdered in Brockton over the weekend was remembered with a vigil and balloon release in Dorchester Tuesday night.
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Kyre Ambrose, 19, was found stabbed to death early Saturday morning in his family home, officials said.
Brockton police responded to a 911 call at approximately 1:55 a.m. from 17 Foster St., where they found Ambrose suffering from multiple stab wounds. He was transported to Good Samaritan Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead, Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy Cruz said in a statement Monday.
Investigators developed probable cause to arrest Jayden Fernandez, 18, of Dorchester, after reviewing surveillance video from a nearby gas station, Cruz said. State Police troopers learned he was being treated at Newton-Wellesley Hospital for a hand injury, where he was located on the property, sleeping in the same gray sedan that was visible on the surveillance footage, according to the DA.
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Police found “reddish brown stains” in the car and later found “dark clothing, gloves, and a knife with reddish-brown stains on them” in Fernandez’s home in Dorchester, Cruz said.
Cruz said Monday that Fernandez pleaded not guilty to one count of first degree murder. He is being held without bail.
Ambrose was a talented dancer and “remarkable spirit”
Ambrose, who graduated from the Boston Arts Academy (BAA) in 2023, was home for the holidays from The American Musical and Dramatic Academy, where he was a student on its Los Angeles campus.
In an email addressed to the BAA community and shared on the school’s alumni Instagram page, Head of School Tyrone Sutton called him an “exceptional young man who was deeply loved.”
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“Kyre was a shining example of this transformational power of the arts and embodied our Vision of the Graduate at the Boston Arts Academy,” he wrote. “He brought authenticity and passion to his work and life.”
Chair of the Dance Department William McLaughlin, who knew Ambrose from a young age, said “the depth of his humanity extended beyond his ability to light up the room and the stage.”
“He genuinely cared about all those around him at BAA and beyond — supporting his peers through challenges and struggles, self-advocating in ways that deepened his relationships with his teachers and mentors, embracing his family at all times and continually communicating his love for others,” he wrote.
Ambrose was honored with a vigil and balloon release at the Lena Park Community Center in Dorchester.
A GoFundMe organized by his godmother, Julianna Cumberbatch-Woods, has raised more than $24,197 as of Wednesday afternoon. She described Ambrose as a “remarkable spirit,” who seemed to “age in reverse, growing younger in spirit as he grew older.”
“Kyre taught us that talent and beauty cannot be defined by mere words — they must be experienced,” she wrote. “His joy, his excitement, and yes, even his pain, were all woven into his movements and his very being. Watching him perform was a celebration of life.”
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Officials have not publicly speculated on a motive. Fernandez is due back in court for a probable cause hearing on Feb. 6.
“Kyre is deeply loved and will forever dance in our hearts,” Sutton said.
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