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DA: East Boston man died in pot deal that turned into a robbery and then a murder

Two teenagers are behind bars for their alleged roles in a robbery turned murder in East Boston Sunday afternoon.

According to the Suffolk County District Attorney's office, Duncan Ketter, 21, of East Boston, tagged along with a woman who'd agreed to sell some pot to a 16-year-old Sunday, only to wind up fatally shot in a small SUV, his body dumped out at Orleans and Marginal streets.

The juvenile allegedly brought Ketter and the female into a vehicle to exchange the marijuana for cash. Unbeknownst to Ketter or the woman, however, Thorus O’Brien was hidden in the rear cargo area of the vehicle. O’Brien allegedly revealed himself as the vehicle was in motion, producing a firearm and demanding marijuana from the woman and Ketter. When he met with verbal resistance, O’Brien allegedly fired, fatally injuring Ketter. The group allegedly threw Ketter and the woman from the vehicle onto the street.

O'Brien, 18, of Brockton, arrested yesterday, was ordered held without bail on charges of murder, armed robbery and unlawfully carrying a loaded firearm at his arraignment today in East Boston Municipal Court.

The younger teen, also arrested yesterday, was arraigned as a juvenile yesterday on charges of delinquency for armed robbery and armed assault with intent to rob. His bail was set at $100,000.

Innocent, etc.

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Comments

Maybe if the state wasn't dragging its feet about marijuana sales, this kid would still be alive.

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It'd certainly be easily accessible, but at 16 you still wouldn't be at the legal age of 21 to consume it.

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But you don't see teenagers murdering each other over liquor deals.

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If anything this just emboldens the fact that the lapse in a legal market perpetuates the shortcomings of there being an illicit market for the product, which I never insinuated was a good thing in the first place.

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they'd have any trouble finding someone of age to buy it for them. Not like teens haven't been doing that for liquor for decades.

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That's why I said it'd be easily accessible.

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or else you would have kids murdering each other trying to get some.

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Since everybody around here knows that despite the change in the law no actual marijuana has been legally sold yet that is meant for recreational use, this comment seems intentionally deceptive.,

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has recreational use been legalized? yes did that get voted in? yes. why do people still have to buy weed in the back of cars or behind bowling alleys? if you could walk into a store and pay $200 for an ounce of quality bud you would never have to meet someone in a car with a guy hiding in the trunk with a pistol. the law was passed a year ago, people still getting killed.

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to the young man.I am no fan of the "justice system"or it's handling of juveniles but I believe the 16yr old(his name should be posted, he didn't swipe a flippin purse)should be at least charged as an accessory to murder.r

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If he were charged with murder, his name could be published, but since he hasn't been, state law prohibits the release of his name.

I did ask whether he could be charged with murder under the "joint venture" theory (i.e., he's as much to blame even if he didn't actually pull the trigger). Could still happen as investigators collect more evidence, but the DA's office pointed me to a September ruling by the Supreme Judicial Court which makes it harder to do that.

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Adam, there's no question that this would be considered a joint venture, of a sort.

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Just got it. Only took me a couple days.

0 for 2 on this thread. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

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all over some weed. Blame the kid who murdered him and his obvious narcissistic, psychopathic personality. How was he raised? It's not the fault of an inanimate object like a firearm. The fault and blame lies with the 16 year old boy/man. We are seeing too many of these usually young men, teenage 'boys' committing atrocities. Again, how were they raised?

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Not sure what you mean by throwing 'boys' in quotes, but the human brain is not fully developed until the age of twenty-five, which is why doctors don't make psychopathic diagnoses until adulthood. Just because these boys made the worst, and likely one of the last decisions of their own free will, doesn't suddenly make them grown men. Tragic, all around. Many lives were lost to this incident Sunday, and many families will forever remain broken. Duncan and his loved ones will be in my thoughts.

By repeatedly asking "how were they raised?" you're insinuating you would've done a better job? Your attempt to turn a murder story into a boast reeks of that narcism you mentioned.

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It’s just tragic. Period.

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The vast majority of people who raise children don't raise murderers. Do you really think it's so difficult? Talk about low standards.

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Changed my mind about extending this thread.

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