Accused killer Josh Pierre, captured in Florida, now held without bail in Waltham murder
WALTHAM - A man charged with a murder in Waltham earlier this year is now being held without bail.
Twenty-one-year-old Josh Pierre hid his face from cameras in court Friday as he pleaded not guilty to murder and gun possession in Waltham District Court. Friends and family of the victim, Shelson Jules, were in the courtroom to watch the arraignment.
Prosecutors said Pierre shot Jules twice from behind during an argument on Lyman Street back on May 22. Police identified Pierre as a suspect in July but said he took steps to avoid being captured, like arranging for his car to be dumped and then leaving the state. He was arrested September 22 in Miramar, Florida.
Pierre's defense attorney said his client left Massachusetts because he was getting threatened. He claimed there are also issues of identification and self-defense in the case.
"Based on what the government presented today, the series of facts they presented, is the alleged victim met with a group of people, he brandished a firearm and invited a fistfight. And then during the fight, he reached for a gun," said defense attorney Derege Demissie.
Pierre will be arraigned in Superior Court later this month.
