Man Arraigned For 1999 Murder At Worcester Nightclub

WORCESTER, MA—A man is finally facing charges for the shooting death of a man outside a Worcester nightclub on Christmas Eve in 1999.

Edwin R. Novas, 39, was arraigned in Worcester Superior Court on Friday in the shooting that left one man dead, according to Worcester DA Joe Early, Jr.

Novas had been at large from the time of the shooting until being arrested Aug. 9 in his native Dominican Republic. A presidential decree granting extradition was issued on Jan. 4, and the suspect was returned to the United States today accompanied by U.S. Marshals.

Novas is being charged in the death of 26-year-old Danny Nicacio, who was shot in the chest about 2 a.m., Dec. 24, 1999, outside the former Tropigala Nightclub at 816 Main St. He was pronounced dead at a local hospital a short time later.

A second man, Armando Maisonet Jr., was shot in the left shoulder and survived his injury.

A Worcester County grand jury indicted Novas on Jan. 16, 2002 on charges of murder, armed assault to murder, possession of a large capacity firearm, possession of a firearm without and FID card and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.

“This arraignment is the result of a lot of hard work by a lot of people,” Early said in a statement. “A lot of credit goes to Worcester Police detectives who conducted a thorough investigation and identified Edwin Novas as the suspect. I want to thank authorities in the Dominican Republic for their arrest of Mr. Novas and their cooperation in facilitating his return to face justice. I also want to thank members of my staff for their efforts in the lengthy extradition process as well as U.S. Rep. James McGovern and the Dept. of Justice for helping to get things moving. The U.S. Marshals deserve thanks for bringing him back.”