June 6, 2017
For Immediate Release
Contact: Paul Jarvey (508) 368-7241
WORCESTER — A Worcester Superior Court jury today found Tyrone C. Strong guilty of first-degree murder in the 2003 shooting death of Christian A. Perez in Fitchburg, according to Worcester County District Attorney Joseph D. Early Jr.
Mr. Perez, 23, of Worcester, was shot multiple times on Sept. 2, 2003, in an armed robbery on Middle Street in Fitchburg.
Judge Richard T. Tucker scheduled sentencing for 10 a.m. Friday. First-degree murder carries a mandatory sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Prosecutors alleged that Mr. Strong and three other men were joint venturers in a plan to rob Mr. Perez of drugs and other items and that Mr. Perez was killed during the robbery.
Mr. Strong and the other three men were stopped by State Police about 45 minutes after the shooting on Route 2 in Harvard. Drugs and guns as well as items belonging to Mr. Perez were found in the vehicle. Ballistics testing indicated that the firearms found in the vehicle did not match the weapon used in the fatal shooting.
Mr. Early praised Fitchburg Police, the State Police Detectives assigned to the District Attorney’s Office, including the Unresolved Case Unit, as well as State Police Crime Scene Services, MSP Ballistics and MSP Division of Field Services for their investigation.
“This was an extremely difficult case from start to finish,” Mr. Early said. “Our prosecution team of Brett F. Dillon and John H. Melander along with Fitchburg Police and State Police deserve credit for not backing down in their quest for justice.”
The other three men in the car with Mr. Strong were also indicted for murder. Tony Ancrum was found not guilty in September. The murder charge against Mitchell Rivera was dismissed in February. His brother, Giovanni Rivera, is awaiting trial.