Lawrence Man Sentenced To Life With Parole For Methuen Murder

LAWRENCE, MA — A Lawrence man was sentenced Wednesday to life in prison with the possibility of parole for a 2019 shooting death in Methuen.

On Nov. 9, a jury found Remy Salazar, 27, guilty of second-degree murder in the death of former U.S. Marine Kelvin Frias, who was 30 at the time.

Salazar was also found guilty of unlawful possession of a firearm and discharging a firearm within 500 feet of a dwelling. The trial lasted six days.

Salazar was sentenced by a Lawrence Superior Court judge to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 25 years.

Salazar shot Frias on March 19, 2019 while Frias stood outside a store on Broadway in Methuen, according to a news release from the Essex District Attorney's Office.

"The defendant, who attended an after-hours party at the Hookah Store, became angry with the store’s owner for requesting payment for the alcohol served at the party," the District Attorney's office said. "Mr. Frias, who was a friend and bodyguard of the storeowner, tried to diffuse the situation and asked the defendant to leave. The defendant left and returned about 30 minutes later, shouted at the storeowner and fired six rounds toward a group of people that included the store owner and the victim."

Frias was hit in the head and died the next morning at a Boston hospital.

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Judge Sal Tabit imposed the sentence requested by Essex Assistant District Attorney Kate MacDougall.

Frias "was a gentle giant only trying to play peacemaker that evening," MacDougall said in her sentencing argument.

Frias' brother Dinelson Frias also spoke ahead of sentencing.

"Kelvin was the thread that held our family together and that thread is now frayed and can’t be made whole again," Dinelson Frias told the court.

"My thoughts are with the family and friends of Kelvin Frias, particularly his 9-year old daughter. While there is nothing we can do to restore their tremendous loss, it is my hope that they can now find some peace," Essex District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett said in a statement. "Mr. Frias was a United States Marine Corps veteran who served his country with honor for four years of active duty. His senseless murder diminishes all of us."

Christopher Huffaker can be reached at 412-265-8353 or chris.huffaker@patch.com.