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After more than two weeks of trial in Western Massachusetts, a jury in Berkshire County found Omar Pascual-Polanco, age 26, and Carlos Pascual-Polanco, age 22, both of Pittsfield, guilty of first-degree murder Thursday, Sept. 22, in the death of Jaden Salois.
The brothers were running a marijuana distribution operation through a fake social media account when they used it to lure Salois, of Dalton, from a home in Pittsfield early on Sunday, Jan. 20, 2019, the Berkshire DA’s Office said.
At around 2 a.m.,they shot Salois in the back, killing him.
The brothers then tried coming up with ways to avoid being prosecuted, which investigators later uncovered.
They were finally arrested in April 2019.
Prosecutors called more than 30 witnesses over the two-week trial and said they proved that the pair “acted premeditatedly in orchestrating the murder.”
In addition to first-degree murder, jurors convicted the Pascual-Polanco brothers of two counts of possessing a gun without a firearm ID (FID), two counts of possessing ammunition without an FID, and possessing marijuana with intent to distribute.
A third co-defendant, Dasean Smith, age 24, of Pittsfield, is also charged with murder in the killing and will be tried separately.
"I send my condolences to Jaden's loved ones. While nothing will bring him back, I am grateful that there is a measure of accountability for his cruel and senseless murder,” Berkshire DA Andrea Harrington said in a statement.
“Gun violence has no place in our community.”
First-degree murder convictions carry a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Sentencing will be scheduled for a later date.
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