Henry Del-Rio: Suspect charged in connection to August 2015 shooting outside Massachusetts nightclub

EVERETT, MASSACHUSETTS: A suspect has been charged by the prosecutors in Massachusetts in connection to an August 2015 shooting outside a nightclub that claimed the life of 21-year-old mother, probably bringing an end to the cold case, CBS News reports. 

In a press release, the Middlesex County District Attorney’s Office said that Ashlee Berryman had been attending her boyfriend’s concert when shots were fired outside the Braza Bar and Grill in Everett.

Berryman, who was not involved in the confrontation that preceded the shots, was struck in the back by a bullet, the authorities said.

What charges does the suspect face?

After eight years, Henry “JR” Del-Rio was charged with first-degree murder, with prosecutors alleging that he fired nine shots, including the fatal blow that killed Berryman. According to witnesses, Del-Rio was at the scene the night of the shooting, authorities claimed.

Prosecutors alleged that Del-Rio admitted to People that he had fired the shots and that he and associates agreed that the weapon needed to be disposed of and that they’d say nothing.

Del-Rio is facing charges of assault and battery by means of a dangerous weapon, attempted assault and battery by means of a dangerous weapon, as well as two gun-related charges..

Authorities alleged that he was a member of the East Side Money Gang at the time.

What did the District Attorney say?

“The conduct that Henry Del-Rio is alleged to have engaged in outside the Braza [Grill] was outrageous and it ended in terrible tragedy,” District Attorney Marian Ryan said in a statement.

“Ashlee Berryman, a completely innocent victim, was caught in a hail of gunfire and lost her life. The defendant is alleged to have randomly fired a gun over and over in a crowded parking lot, and unsurprisingly there was a terrible result.”

Several bullets were recovered from the scene, all fired from the same gun, which has never been found, authorities said.

Berryman had a 3-year-old son at the time of her death

At the time of her death, Berryman had a 3-year-old son, Julius, according to a GoFundMe launched in 2015. “Julius was Ashlee's life, her world, and her everything,” the GoFundMe organizer wrote. 

“Every breath she took, every move she made was for her son. Every picture she took, and every video she recorded was of Julius. She meant the world to him and he meant the world to her, and knowing she isn't here to watch him grow is devastating.”