In their first day of deliberations, jurors found Xzeniyeju Chukwuezi guilty of first-degree murder and unlawful possession of a firearm on Tuesday.
He was then sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole at 2 p.m.
Chukwuezi, of Roxbury, was tried for the fatal shooting of 15-year-old Soheil Turner as he waited for a bus to school around 7 a.m. on May 7, 2009.
“A 15-year-old boy’s life was snuffed out as he did what thousands of teenagers do every day,” said Suffolk District Attorney Daniel F. Conley. “He stood waiting for a bus to school. His life and all his potential ended when a coward walked up and shot him in the head for no good reason at all.”
The case garnered massive media attention last year because of the boy’s age and the public location of the murder, which occurred in broad daylight on busy Dudley Street.
Shortly after 7 a.m., prosecutors said, Chukwuezi crossed the street and started talking to the younger boy, Turner.
“Turner showed no outward signs of apprehension during that verbal exchange. Soon, with no provocation, hesitation, or warning, Chukwuezi reached into his pocket, produced the handgun, and fired twice. One shot went straight through Turner’s head, killing him,” Prosecutors said.
The entire exchange was captured by surveillance cameras.
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