Emotional victim impact statements at Boston man’s murder sentencing

BOSTON, June 30, 2026 – A Suffolk Superior judge today sentenced VICTOR ARRINGTON, 40, to life in prison without the possibility of parole plus 45 years additional time for a 2015 Dorchester home invasion that killed one man and left his fiancée with a gunshot wound to the head, Suffolk District Attorney Kevin Hayden announced.

The sentencing hearing before Judge Anthony Campo took place in a courtroom filled with relatives and friends of the victim, Richard Long, 37. Several of Long’s family members delivered emotional victim impact statements.  The surviving victim also provided an impact statement, read by one of Long’s sisters.

“Ever since the incident, I have had to live with the psychological, emotional, and physical impact of this horrific crime. What happened that day changed every part of my life and devastated me to my core. Even now, years later, I continue to experience nightmares and moments where I relive the fear, helplessness, and terror of what happened. Home was once the place where I felt safest, but that sense of security was taken from me. Every day, I am fearful of being alone in my home and, at times, even fearful of being there with my family. My [fiancée] and I once welcomed our children’s friends into our home without hesitation. It was a place of comfort, warmth, and connection. Today, I find myself questioning whether opening our doors could somehow lead to tragedy again,” the surviving victim wrote.

On March 31, 2015, Arrington and two other men planned to assault and rob a man who lived on Harvard Street in Dorchester.  However, the assailants went to the wrong home and forced themselves into the Dorchester apartment Long shared with his fiancée.  When Long, an ironworker and member of Local 7, answered the door the men forced him and his fiancée to their bedroom and tied them with electrical cords. Realizing that they had entered the wrong home, the men decided to kill Long and his fiancée to cover their tracks.

The men stabbed Long with a knife, shot him in the head, shot Long’s fiancée in the head, and poured bleach on the victims. Then, with the couple’s infant child in the bedroom, the men set fire to the kitchen and fled. Long died at the scene. Long's fiancée regained consciousness, grabbed her infant son, and climbed the stairs to a neighbor’s apartment to get help.

The son, now 12, gave an impact statement read by First Assistant District Attorney Edmond Zabin, the lead prosecutor on the case.

“The sudden and tragic loss of my father just weeks after my birth created a void that shaped every aspect of my upbringing. His absence wasn't a distant memory but a constant, emptiness that defined my earliest experiences. I grew up without his guidance, his love, or his presence, which left me feeling different from my peers. This early trauma manifested in deep sense of insecurity, as the most fundamental bond was severed before it even had a chance to form,” the sone wrote.  “I was there as a baby the day my parents’ lives were ruined and mine was almost taken before I even made my own mark on the world. This traumatic event left me with significant breathing difficulties and other chronic health issues, a constant and painful reminder of a past I barely remembered but that impacted my present. These physical challenges weren't just medical conditions; they were daily struggles that limited my activities, affected my self-esteem, and often isolated me from others. The ongoing battle with my health added another layer of complexity to my already difficult emotional landscape. Together, these experiences—the loss of my father and the enduring physical consequences of the fire—created a unique and challenging path through life. The emotional wounds combined with the physical pain and limitations created a deep sense of vulnerability and a constant struggle My childhood was marked by a relentless effort to overcome these intertwined burdens.”

Arrington was found guilty last week of first-degree murder, home invasion, armed assault to murder, unlawful possession of a firearm and two counts of kidnapping.

A second man, James Boyd, 33, is charged with home invasion, assault with a dangerous weapon and two counts of kidnapping. He is expected to change his plea on July 1.

The third man was identified but never charged because he was murdered in April 2015. 

Long’s oldest son, Richard Long Jr., said carrying his father’s name “is one of the greatest honors of my life, but it is also a daily reminder of the man who was taken from me when I was only 12 years old.”

“At 12 years old, I still needed my dad. My siblings needed my dad. We needed his guidance, his protection, his encouragement, and simply his presence. Instead, because of the defendant's actions, we had to learn how to grow up without him. When I think about my father, I don't first think about the day he died. I think about the man he was when he was alive. He picked me up from school almost every day. Those rides home weren't just transportation—they were moments I got to spend with my dad. At the time, they seemed ordinary. Today, they are some of the memories I treasure most because I never knew how few of them I would have,” Long Jr. said.

He continued: “As the oldest son, I have often thought about the life we should have had. I wonder what advice my father would have given me, what lessons he would have taught me, what conversations we would have shared as I became a man. I wonder how different all of our lives would have been if he had been allowed to grow old with us. Those questions will never be answered because one person's decision permanently changed the future of an entire family. People often say that time heals all wounds. I have learned that it doesn't. Time teaches you how to carry the pain, but it never removes it. Grief doesn't disappear—it simply grows alongside your life.”

Hayden called the statements by Long’s loved ones “remarkable for their grace, eloquence and remembrance.”

“But more than anything their words and memories are searing reminders of the vast, unending grief carried by all survivors of homicide victims. They are calls for us, all of us as a society, to work ever harder at reducing violence in our communities,” Hayden said.

The Arrington case is notable because the Commonwealth was able to present to the jury location information stored in the Frequent Location History (FLH) in Arrington’s iPhone.  After a lengthy evidentiary hearing in which the court heard from leading experts in the digital forensic community, the court allowed the admission of FLH over the defendant’s attempt to exclude. While Frequent Location History evidence has been introduced in other cases, the Arrington case is the first time that such evidence has been presented to a jury over a defendant’s objection. 

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. Our office handles more than 20,000 cases a year. Nearly 160 assistant district attorneys practice in nine district and municipal courts, Suffolk Superior Court, the Massachusetts Appeals Court, the Boston and Chelsea Juvenile Courts and the Supreme Judicial Court. Our office employs some 300 people and offers a wide range of services and programs for anyone encountering the criminal justice system. We are committed to educating the public about our mission and services while focusing on crime prevention to keep the residents, workers and visitors of Suffolk County safe.

James Borghesani, Chief of Communications