Teenage Girl Charged With 19-Year-Old's Murder In Chelsea

CHELSEA, MA — A 17-year-old girl is being held without bail in the fatal stabbing of a young woman in Chelsea.

Ava Najafi, 17, has been charged with the murder of 19-year-old Cyndell Rodriguez, the Suffolk District Attorney's office said.

The stabbing happened when a fight broke out between two groups on Garfield Avenue Thursday night, authorities said. Officers responded to a report of shots fired shortly before 9:30 p.m. and found Rodriguez with knife wounds to her throat and chest, the district attorney said.

Rodriguez was taken to Massachusetts General Hospital, where she later died. Investigators believe Najafi stabbed her during the altercation.

Under Massachusetts law, juveniles who are accused of murder are charged as adults starting at age 14. Najafi faces a potential sentence of life in prison with the possibility of parole if convicted, the district attorney said.

"This is a 17-year-old who was just charged with murder and a 19-year-old has lost her life. These two young women should have been preparing for other milestones in their lives – like starting their senior year in high school, returning to college, or figuring out what their next job or opportunity is going to be," Suffolk District Attorney Rachael Rollins said. "Instead, one has had her life taken, and the other is charged with murder. I want the community to be aware that women and girls are deeply impacted by violence. Not only as the family, loved ones or significant others usually left picking up the pieces, but also as perpetrators and victims."

Rollins said both Rodriguez's family and Najafi's guardians are "devastated and heartbroken."

"These are two teenagers. One gone forever and one forever changed. This is a tragedy for all involved," Rollins continued.

Anyone with information about the altercation is asked to call the Suffolk County State Police Detective Unit at 617-727-8817 or the Chelsea Police Department at 617-466-4805.