Criminal Justice
Man who failed to obtain restraining order against nephew is accused of shooting him outside courthouse
Cambridge District Courthouse in Medford, Massachusetts. Photo from the Massachusetts Court System.
A Revere, Massachusetts, man is facing a murder charge after he was accused of striking his nephew with his car and then shooting him outside the Cambridge District Courthouse in Medford.
Chenghai Xue, 44, is accused of killing his 23-year-old nephew after failing to get an extension on a restraining order against him, report NBC Boston, CBS Boston, Boston.com, WCVB and WHDH.
Xue allegedly drove at the victim, hitting him and other cars, then exited his vehicle and shot the victim multiple times, according to a press release.
Lawyer William Barabino had represented Xue in his attempt to extend the restraining order. He told CBS Local that Xue had taken in his nephew from China several years ago but the relationship soured.
Barabino told reporters that he initially thought the noise he heard outside the courthouse was due to construction, according to the NBC Boston story. When he realized what had happened, Barabino said, he pinned his client down with his knee to keep him on the scene.
Barabino said Xue got his PhD in statistics from China, where he grew up, and came to the United States to do postdoctoral work at Harvard. He described his client as gentle and kind, with no history of violence.
During a press conference, Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan said the incident occurred at a busy time, according to the NBC Boston account.
“To have something like this unfolding, particularly at the end of day as people were leaving the courthouse, employees were leaving, other things were finishing up, people making their way to the parking lot, it’s extremely concerning,” she added.
