2nd Person Gets Prison In 2023 Waltham Shooting

WALTHAM, MA — A second man has pleaded guilty in the 2023 shooting of Shelson Jules in Waltham.

Strawensky Cebeat, 22, of Waltham, pleaded guilty to charges in connection to the shooting, including accessory after the fact to murder and tampering with evidence.

He faces a sentence between three and five years in state prison on the accessory charge, and received four years of probation for the evidence tampering charge.

Josh Pierre, 23, of Waltham, was convicted in Middlesex Superior Court for the 2023 fatal shooting of Shelson Jules in Waltham.

He was found guilty by a Middlesex Superior Court jury of voluntary manslaughter and carrying a firearm without a license. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Tuesday by Judge William Barrett.

Pierre was arrested on Sept. 22, 2023, without incident with the assistance of the Massachusetts State Police Violent Fugitive Apprehension Section and the United States Marshals Task Force in Miramar, Florida.

The Shooting

Police responded to a shooting on May 22, 2023, on Lyman Street in the area of Faneuil Road in Waltham around 1:30 a.m.

Following the shooting, investigators determined that Pierre and other individuals were in a vehicle together when they traveled to Waltham to meet the victim, officials said.

After a brief exchange, Pierre allegedly fired several shots, fatally striking the victim twice from behind before fleeing the scene.

Officers at the scene found Jules lying on the sidewalk suffering from apparent gunshot wounds. Jules was transported to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The autopsy revealed that Jules had been shot twice. Eight discarded cartridge casings and two unspent rounds were located at the scene.

An investigation revealed that in the early morning hours of May 22, Jules, Pierre and other witnesses had been talking to each other on a Snapchat group voice call. Pierre and the victim began to argue and exchange insults when the victim provided Pierre with his location so they could fight each other in person.

According to witnesses, Pierre had retrieved his gun and placed it in his vehicle before leaving to meet up with the victim. Pierre then drove with other individuals to the victim’s location at the intersection of Faneuil Road and Lyman Street.

A verbal altercation ensued and escalated into a physical fight. Pierre grabbed his gun from the vehicle, shot the victim and fled the scene, officials said.