Man indicted on murder charge after allegedly beating man with a brick

BROCKTON, Mass. (WLNE) — A man accused of striking a pedestrian with his car twice and then repeatedly hitting him with a brick has been indicted on multiple charges, including murder, according to Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy Cruz.

Vasco Semedo, 46, was indicted by a grand jury in Plymouth County Superior Court on charges of murder, assault with intent to murder and three counts of assault and battery with a deadly weapon.

The incident occurred on April 6, 2024, when Brockton police responded to a 8:53 a.m. 911 call of reports of a motor vehicle striking a pedestrian.

Upon their arrival to the North Main Street scene, officers said they observed Semedo being detained by witnesses.

The victim, Stuart Smith, 50, was found unresponsive near Semedo’s vehicle and pronounced deceased after being transported to Good Samaritan Hospital and later med-flighted to Massachusetts General Hospital.

Semedo was arrested at the scene, and surveillance footage allegedly showed Semedo striking the victim with his Toyota Rav 4.

The footage then showed Semedo backing up and striking the victim a second time before exiting his vehicle and hitting the victim with a brick while he was on the ground.

Witness testimony described the same series of events.

Semedo will be arraigned in Superior Court at a later date.