Life without parole for Canton man convicted of 2018 murder, armed robbery
BOSTON, June 30, 2025 – A Suffolk Superior court judge today sentenced a Canton man to life in prison without possibility of parole plus a consecutive 15-20 year term for the 2018 murder of a gas station attendant during an armed robbery, calling the crime one “meant to instill abject terror.”
A jury on Friday convicted JERRON PERRY, 33, of Canton on first-degree murder, numerous armed robberies and numerous weapons charges.
On the night of October 6, 2018, the victim, Jose Williams, 67, was working as a gas station attendant at Fabian Gas in Dorchester. At approximately 11:30 p.m., as Williams and a co-worker were preparing to close for the night, a masked individual—later identified as Perry—entered the office area of the gas station. Perry pointed a gun at Williams and demanded money. As Williams started to hand over the money Perry shot him in the chest and fled the scene. Williams was pronounced dead shortly after at Boston Medical Center.
In the weeks surrounding this incident, Perry committed a series of armed robberies at MetroPCS, 7-Eleven and community stores in the Boston and Canton areas.
“The senseless aspect was taking the life of Mr. Williams. That’s the senseless aspect of this offense. Because there’s no reason, no reason at all, that Mr. Williams had to die. These are the types of crimes, the armed, masked robberies of small business owners, people who are working every day to make our city better…that destroy the very fabric of a community. And they’re meant to,” Ames said before imposing the sentence.
The sentence included a consecutive term of 15-20 years for armed robbery.
Williams’s grandniece read a victim impact at the sentencing written by Williams’s sister.
“He was the heart of our family—always smiling, laughing and dancing. His infectious joy could light up any room, and he was beloved by everyone in our community,” the grandniece read. “The holidays feel hollow without his laughter filling our home. Family gatherings are marked by an empty chair and the silence where his music and dancing used to bring us all together.”
After praising the grandniece for delivering a “beautiful statement,” Ames addressed the impact Perry’s crime has had on his own family. “Mr. Perry, your family will never be the same, and I’ve seen the pain on your mother’s face. She’s clearly a loving, kind, wonderful woman, and I’ve seen the pain. The pain that you cause her for what—a few hundred bucks? You had choices sir,” Ames said.
District Attorney Kevin Hayden, who attended the sentencing, called Ames’s comments and the statement read by Williams’s grandniece “devastating and important words that help convey how crimes like this impact all families involved and the community itself.”
“We heard a portrait painted today, in remembrance, of a man devoted to his family and friends and deeply loved by them in return, a love that is now forever tinged with heartbreak. We also heard a judge describe how Jerron Perry’s menacing and deadly actions hurt families on both sides and instilled terror in the businesses he victimized,” 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