BROCKTON — A 26-year-old landscaper today was ordered held without bail in the beating death of a 74-year-old pastor, a crime that the judge hearing the case described as “shocking.â€
With more than 20 relatives and friends of the victim, Lee Harmon, looking on, Carlos R. Velazquez was arraigned on a murder charge in Brockton District Court, where Judge Ronald Moynihan ordered him held without bail.
Carlos Velazquez looked on as his attorney, William Sullivan, spoke in court this morning. (George Rizer for the Boston Globe )
Velazquez used a hammer that Harmon was carrying with him to beat Harmon to death after the two men got into some sort of a confrontation in August, a prosecutor alleged in court.
There was no known motive for the killing. The men did not know each other, the prosecutor said.
After hearing a summary of the evidence, Moynihan called the case “shocking.â€
Defense attorney William F. Sullivan said he only recently got involved with the case and would need more time to review the information before making a comment.
Harmon was riding his bicycle on Clinton Street on the night of Aug. 20 en route to his daughter’s apartment when he was beaten to death.
Witnesses have reported hearing a crash and a commotion, including the sound of breaking glass, followed by a verbal argument.
Mobile suers unable to see the video, click here.
