No Bail For Suspect In Fatal Mall Shooting In Braintree

BRAINTREE, MA — A Maynard man accused of fatally shooting 26-year-old Dijoun Beasley at the South Shore Plaza shopping mall in Braintree last month was ordered held without bail at his arraignment Wednesday.

Julius Hammond-Desir, 19, pleaded not guilty to the murder charge in Quincy District Court. The Norfolk County District Attorney's Office said he will return to court March 15 for a probable cause hearing.

The two-and-a-half week long manhunt ended Wednesday morning when Braintree, Boston and Massachusetts State Police arrested Hammond-Desir in Dorchester.

Hammond-Desir is accused of killing Beasley, of Dorchester, who was shopping at the mall when he was shot around 3:30 p.m on Jan. 22. Beasley was taken to a Boston hospital, where he later died.

Before Beasley was shot, Beasley was inside Forever 21 with his girlfriend, who was pushing a 3-year-old in a stroller, prosecutors said. CBS Boston reported surveillance video showed Hammond-Desir, get off an elevator, walk into the store and approach Beasley. Prosecutors said the men exchanged words, then Hammond-Desir revealed a gun under his shirt. He then shot Beasley as he walked away, prosecutors said.

Police issued a murder arrest warrant for Hammond-Desir, of Maynard, on Jan. 28. The warrant for Hammond-Desir was issued less than 24 hours after police arrested Samantha Schwartz, 27, of Attleboro, and charged her with accessory after the fact of a murder. Schwartz was arrested Jan. 28 and pleaded not guilty to the charge in Quincy District Court the next morning.

Authorities said Schwartz did not go home in the five days after the shooting, changed location repeatedly, and has a prior history of not showing up to court dates. She was ordered held on $20,000 bail.

As of Wednesday, Schwartz has not made bail, a spokesperson for the Norfolk District Attorney's Office said. She was transferred to the Barnstable County Correctional Facility, since Norfolk County doesn't have a woman's jail.