January 19, 2018
Contact: Tim Connolly 508-368-7236
Or 508-688-5565
WORCESTER – A Superior Court jury found Pedro Solis guilty of murder in the first degree in the December 2015 stabbing death of Cherise Hill, according to Worcester County District Attorney Joseph D. Early Jr.
The jury deliberated for six hours over two days before returning the verdict. The jury found the defendant guilty under both theories of the crime, pre-meditation and extreme atrocity or cruelty. Ms. Hill was stabbed to death in the early morning of Dec. 2, 2015 on Murray Avenue.
Judge Shannon Frison imposed the mandatory sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Solis, 28, of 45 Grand St., was indicted for the murder by the Worcester County Grand Jury in March of 2016. A co-defendant, Kevin Miranda, 20, of 33 Wellington St., testified during the trial. He is expected to plead guilty to a charge of manslaughter at a later date and is to receive a sentence of 18 to 20 years in state prison.
“We have this verdict today in large part due to the hard work of the prosecutorial team, the Worcester Police Detectives and the head of our Victim Witness Advocates Margaret Rwaramba,” Mr. Early said. “Cherise’s family also played a huge role in the case, including her mother, Princilla Walker, who testified during the trial. The jury got it right.”
Assistant District Attorneys Brett Dillon and Anthony Melia prosecuted the case. Detective Tom Radula was lead investigator for the Worcester Police. Margaret Rwaramba, the director of Victim Witness Services for the Worcester DA’s Office, guided Ms. Hill’s family through the court process.