Local News

Man pleads guilty in 2019 killing of 74-year-old Mattapan woman

Dane Henry, 29, of Roxbury is one of four men charged in connection with the shooting that killed Eleanor Maloney in Mattapan.

A bouquet of flowers left on the sidewalk in front of a Mattapan home on April 7, 2019, the day after a shooting killed Eleanor Maloney, 74. Nathan Klima for The Boston Globe

By Dialynn Dwyer

February 25, 2025

2 minutes to read

A Roxbury man pleaded guilty on Tuesday to the 2019 fatal shooting of a 74-year-old Mattapan woman, authorities announced.

Dane Henry, 29, pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon causing serious bodily injury, assault with a dangerous weapon, carrying a firearm without a license, unlawful possession of a large capacity firearm, and witness intimidation, the Suffolk County District Attorney’s office said in a statement.

Henry was sentenced to serve 12 to 15 years in prison followed by two years of probation for his role in the shooting on April 6, 2019 that claimed the life of 74-year-old Eleanor Maloney and injured 42-year-old Anthony Davis outside of the woman’s Mattapan home.

Prosecutors alleged the shooting stemmed from a dispute between Henry and Davis — Maloney’s grandson — that escalated into a gun battle on the street between the two men. Maloney was struck by a bullet in the back and forth and died from her injuries.

Maloney’s 19-year-old granddaughter said in a victim impact statement that she “can’t forgive” Henry but she hopes “someone will.”

“My grandma was my best friend and she helped me a lot when I was younger,” she said. “Losing her, that was the biggest heartbreak I’ve ever experienced. It wasn’t fair.”

Maloney’s daughter described her mother as the “cornerstone” of the family, saying her death left an “indescribable void.”

“She was a compassionate and selfless woman who touched the lives of everyone she met,” she said in her statement, which was released by prosecutors.

Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden said in a statement his office remains committed to reducing gun violence in Boston.

“Eleanor Maloney’s death is an epic tragedy and a searing reminder of the heartbreak that too often occurs when bad actors send bullets flying on our streets and in our neighborhoods,” he said.

Three others have been charged in connection with the 2019 shooting.

Davis is facing charges in his grandmother’s fatal shooting and with shooting Henry. His case will go to trial on June 2.

Khamal Watson, 25, pleaded guilty last year to witness intimidation related to the shooting and was sentenced to a year of probation. Chinonso Nwosu, 29, pleaded guilty earlier this month to possession of a firearm without a license and sentenced to 2.5 years in the House of Correction with 18 months to serve, balance suspended for 2 years, according to the DA’s office.