Man Gets Life In Prison For 2016 Mattapan Barbershop Slaying
BOSTON (CBS) - A man convicted of killing a young father inside a Mattapan barber shop has been sentenced to life in prison without parole.
A judge on Monday handed down the sentence for 30-year-old William Shakespeare of Dedham, after a Suffolk Superior Court jury on Friday found him guilty of first-degree murder in the 2016 death of Marcus Hall.
During Monday's sentencing hearing, Judge Christine Roach imposed a term of life in prison without the possibility of parole – the mandatory term for first-degree murder. She additionally sentenced Shakespeare to five years for unlawful possession of a firearm and two years for carrying a loaded firearm, which was ordered served concurrent with his life sentence.
On June 14, 2016, Hall was at the Hair It Is barber shop on Blue Hill Avenue in Mattapan where his 4-year-old son was getting a haircut. He and Shakespeare got into an argument.
Police said Shakespeare left the scene then came back with a gun, and fatally shot Hall outside while the child was still in the shop.
"Marcus Hall faced an armed gunman alone rather than put his son in danger by fleeing inside," Conley said. "His last act on this earth was to protect the child he loved," Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel Conley said in a statement Monday.
Investigators arrested Shakespeare months later, in New York in January 2017.
Before sentencing Shakespeare, Roach heard impact statements from Hall's relatives, who recalled Hall as a doting father who was dedicated to making positive changes in his community.
"Family meant everything to Marcus. He was our shining star," Hall's sister told the court.
"Marcus Hall was such an outstanding human being. He was forever learning, forever teaching, and always striving to inspire," Hall's girlfriend said in an impact statement. "He exuded so much positive energy and confidence that couldn't help but rub off on you. And he made sure to bring out the best in you even if you didn't know you possessed it."
