Third person charged in February Tennis Road fatal shooting

BOSTON, May 29, 2025 – A third person was charged today in connection to the February fatal shooting of 33-year-old Mauricio Lawrence in the area of Tennis Road in Mattapan, Suffolk District Attorney Kevin Hayden announced.

JAIR MEEKS, 24, of Mattapan was charged in Suffolk Superior Court with one count of accessory before the fact. Clerk Magistrate Courtney Doherty ordered Meeks held without bail. 

SHAVON DARBY, 29, of East Weymouth and ROBERTO ORLANDO TAYLOR, 29, of Dorchester were charged in Suffolk Superior Court with first-degree murder on May 8.

Meeks, Darby, and Taylor are due back in Suffolk Superior on June 17 for pre-trial hearings. 

At about 11:30 p.m. on February 4, Boston police responded to a radio call for a person shot in the area of 35 Tennis Road. Officers found Lawrence suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. Lawrence died while being transported by Boston EMS to Boston Medical Center. 

Video surveillance obtained during the investigation shows Meeks entering Lawrence's place of work about six hours before the shooting to record him while Darby and Taylor waited nearby in a Honda Accord.

Meeks can be heard on audio obtained from the car's dash cam advising Darby and Taylor what to do leading up to the shooting, including “wrap [the gun] up in a bag” to “try to catch the shells” and to put different tire rims on the Accord to alter its appearance and to use special tape to cover the license plate to make the vehicle harder to detect.

Darby and Taylor followed Lawrence in the Accord when he left work. As Lawrence neared his apartment door, Taylor approached from behind and fired. ShotSpotter Activation detected 18 shots in seven seconds. Taylor returned to the car and, with Darby driving, fled the area.

Darby sent Meeks a text the following morning stating “it’s complete.”

“This case presents a chilling sequence of calculated actions.  It also provides an excellent example of investigators pursuing a criminal incident until every person who played a role is identified and brought forward to answer for their conduct,” District Attorney Kevin 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