Boston man with prior gun convictions receives five-to seven-year prison sentence for fourth illegal gun charge
BOSTON, December 13, 2023 – A Dorchester man entered a guilty plea as his illegal-firearm trial was set to begin this morning in Suffolk Superior Court, District Attorney Kevin Hayden announced.
JASON MEEKS, 42, pleaded guilty to one count of possession of a firearm without a license outside of home or business. Meeks entered a guilty plea before testimony in his trial began, with 14 jurors already seated. Judge Anthony Campo sentenced Meeks to a term of five to seven years in state prison.
Had the case proceeded to trial, Assistant District Attorney Mary Lou Szulborski would have presented evidence to prove that Meeks was in possession of a firearm on July 3, 2022. At about 11 p.m. that night, while responding to a person shot in the back at 18 Greenville Street in Roxbury, Boston police encountered a dark blue Volkswagen Jetta, registered to Meeks, driving toward Warren Street from Winthrop Street without any headlights or tail lights displayed.
Officers observed a significant amount of blood and bloody hand prints on the driver side door and window. Officers followed Meeks’s vehicle and conducted a traffic stop on Saint James Street. When Meeks exited his vehicle, officers observed blood on his face and clothing. Meeks was transported to Boston Medical Center for treatment since it appeared he sustained a gunshot wound to his face.
Officers located a cell phone and keys, and a 9mm. black Smith and Wesson handgun wedged between the front passenger’s seat and the door, all covered in blood. Officers noted that the gun was missing the magazine. Two shell casings and an eight-round magazine were located on Greenville Street. The magazine contained six bullets and also fit the firearm recovered from Meeks’s vehicle.
Meeks has been convicted of carrying a firearm without a license on three separate occasions and served a prison sentence for manslaughter in 2007.
Prosecutors did not have sufficient evidence to charge anyone with the shooting, one of many that weekend in Boston.
“Mr. Meeks’s decision to carry a gun has landed him in prison for a significant stretch of time. Although we didn’t have enough evidence to charge him with any related shooting, we take gun charges seriously and this is a good example of the penalties for making dangerous choices. In this case, a string of dangerous choices,” Hayden said.
All charged individuals are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden’s office serves the communities of Boston, Chelsea, Revere, and Winthrop, Mass. The office handles over 20,000 cases a year. More than 160 attorneys in the office practice in nine district and municipal courts, Suffolk Superior Court, the Massachusetts Appeals Court, the Supreme Judicial Court, and the Boston Juvenile Courts. The office employs some 300 people and offers a wide range of services and programs to serve anyone who comes in contact with the criminal justice system. This office is committed to educating the public about the services we provide, our commitment to crime prevention, and our dedication to keeping the residents of Suffolk County safe.
James Borghesani, Chief of Communications