Boston man faces up to 11 years for 2015 Brighton shooting death

BOSTON, Mass. (WLNE) — District Attorney Kevin Hayden announced today a Boston man was sentenced for the shooting murder of a man in 2015.

Hayden said 33-year-old Gammada Musa pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter in the killing of Desmond Joseph, 34, in October of 2015.

According to court documents, Musa shot Joseph in the hear, chest and back as he was standing with his girlfriend outside his Brighton home.

First responders pronounced Joseph dead on the scene. Musa ran away after firing and was eventually identified by Joseph’s girlfriend.

Investigators believe the shooting was in retaliation for the 2005 non-fatal shooting of Musa’s older brother, which left him paralyzed.

Joseph was charged with that shooting but the case was dismissed when the sole identification witness could not be located for trial.

Musa was sentenced to serve nine to 11 years in state prison.

“If this was an attempt at vigilante justice, it ended up the same as all such attempts — with the assailant being charged, convicted and sentenced and nothing but heartache and loss for the victim’s family and friends and everyone else connected to the case,” D.A. Hayden said.